


Δ (Delta)

by HavenRyder



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Comfort, Coming Out, Consensual Underage Sex, Fluff, Fuck Or Die, Jercillico, M/M, M/M/M/M, Minor Spoilers for Trials of Apollo, Multi, OT4, Poly Relationship, Smut, WARNINGS:, jercicolace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-10-25 07:01:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 75,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10759161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HavenRyder/pseuds/HavenRyder
Summary: Slightly more than a year after the giant war, Nico is finally starting to feel at home at Camp Half-Blood. After fighting in two wars and nearly losing his life, he had decided to stop hiding and running away.The Greek symbol Delta represents the number four.Despite Percy's awkward attempts to interact with him, Jason inadvertently pushing his boundaries, and Will's aggressive doctoring, he is glad to have his group of friends. But what kind of trouble can a group consisting of some of the most powerful demigods of their generation get into?Delta also represents change.Despite the lack of monster attacks after Gaia's defeat, things are getting complicated again; Piper and Annabeth realize that they are in love for each other, breaking up with their boyfriends to move to New Rome together. Percy is absolutely devastated, while Jason, strangely unfazed by their breakup, is acting weirdly towards Nico. When an enigmatic goddess sends them on a sudden quest, they begin to realize that just how many external forces are meddling with their lives. It seems that again, the Morai have a convoluted agenda. The demigods will need to come clean with their own feelings if they are ever to make it out alive.





	1. Prolog: Warning (n.) advance notice of something/cautionary advice

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:  
> The Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series are owned by Rick Riordan and are not my intellectual property. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes only (at least, I hope it’s entertaining).
> 
> This fic is a continuation of the Heroes of Olympus series, set after Blood of Olympus, (for the most part ignoring the Trials of Apollo series). The driving idea behind the story is basically my take on how our four guys could end up in a poly relationship. Not much has happened in the one year since the war ended, except for the characters spending time together and getting to know each other better, and Nico feeling more comfortable with himself and his place in camp. Percy and Jason have the canonical ages of 18 and 17 respectively when the story starts, whereas both Nico and Will are 16.
> 
> Thank you so much to [MelChan1003](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MelChan1003/pseuds/MelChan1003) and their [Making Nico Happy](http://archiveofourown.org/series/237054) series, which was the inspiration behind this story. Sorry if I accidentally stole any of your headcanons, Tári XP

Annabeth was dreaming. She knew this because the last thing she remembered doing was going to bed in the Athena cabin. Still, the landscape that surrounded her wasn’t reminiscent of her usual dreams - or nightmares, for that matter. As a demigod, she was accustomed to having incredibly realistic, somewhat lucid dreams; but she clearly wasn’t in Tartarus, or anywhere familiar. In every direction, as far as she could see, she was surrounded by an expanse of lush grassland, a veritable sea of green that made her think of the plains of Marathon. Beneath her feet, a gravel path stretched for what seemed like miles behind her, branching out in three directions in front of her. 

Crossroads. No sooner had the thought occurred to her, along with the realization of the goddess it represented, did a figure coalesce into existence before her eyes, surrounded by a thick cloud of mist.

“Lady Hecate,” Annabeth inclined her head respectfully (as it was wise to do in the presence of divine beings). 

“Astute as always, daughter of Athena,” came the reply, a gentle lilt with a semblance of an echo. “It is for this very reason that I am here,” the goddess continued, “A dear friend of mine has requested that I assist, for it is easier for me to do so unnoticed. We gods are a frivolous bunch, and it has come to our attention that some of us are unjustly meddling in the affairs of mortals. The information that I will present to you might serve to right that wrong.”

Before Annabeth could ask the questions that had sprung forth in her mind, Hecate waved her hand, causing three soundless moving images to appear in the mist. Annabeth stumbled back in shock, her mind struggling to take in the vivid scenes portrayed all at once, each showing an equally horrifying scene.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Watch carefully, child, for any of these could happen,” Hecate informed, watching her with an unreadable expression. The thick, swirling mist engulfed the images, and Annabeth finally managed to tear her eyes away, looking at the goddess in alarm.

“But the power of prophecy, the oracle... ” she stuttered, still reeling from shock.

“I don’t see the future, only possibilities. You must choose carefully. Do you know what each of these represents?”

“One is what would happen if I do nothing. Another is what would happen if I leave Percy. The last is...” she paused, unsure.

“The last is if you tell anyone about what I am showing you,” Hecate concluded for her, looking sympathetic. “I am truly sorry that I can only allow you to choose the lesser evil. May the fates show mercy to you, young Annabeth.”

She awoke with a gasp, her breath coming in short pants, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. It had to be a dream. Oh gods, how she prayed it was a dream. Yet, the sensation of a foreign object in her hand told her otherwise. In the dim light of dawn, she could see that it was a postcard, with a familiar picture of crossroads on one side, and an elegant scrawl on the other.

“You never fail to amaze with your wisdom. -H.” She put the card down, and it vanished in a puff of cotton-like mist. Annabeth dropped her head into her hands, sobbing silently.


	2. Breakup (n.) the end of a relationship

"Percy, we need to talk." Annabeth looked pained - the last time she had looked that way was when she had talked to him about what happened in Tartarus, with Akhlys. They had already settled that - at least, Percy thought they had. So, what could be the issue now? 

Annabeth led him back to his cabin. They spent a lot of their time here, away from the prying eyes of the Athena children.

"Before I say anything, I want you to know that I love you, Perce. Please give me the chance to explain everything I need to, no interruptions." She sat him on the bed and perched opposite him. Percy gulped but nodded. Following Annabeth's instructions was what had kept him alive all along. 

"I'm moving to New Rome." She motioned for him to shut his mouth before he had even opened it. "I know you don't want to go, Percy. That much is obvious. You've been stalling for more than half a year, and I can't take it anymore. I understand that this is your home, and you still have promises to fulfill. Which is why we have to break up. I'm so sorry, Perce, but I know this will be better for us in the long run. Piper said that..."

"You're in love with her," Percy growled, realizing how accusatory his statement had been, a bit too late. Annabeth started tearing up, and he reached out for her before stopping himself. As much as his brain was filled with seaweed most of the time, he hadn't been blind to the signs; the way Annabeth lit up in her presence, the adoring way she said Piper's name. Sometimes when he looked into her gray eyes, he saw flashes of guilt. Percy considered himself an expert in reading his girlfriend (or should he say ex-girlfriend? The word sounded putrid, even in his mind), and he had known that something was off for months now. 

"Y..yes, I am," Annabeth admitted, threading her fingers through her blond curls nervously. "I don't know how it started, and it's nothing to do with you, Percy. I still love you, but I can't deny my feelings for Piper. As much as I know I would never cheat on you, it feels wrong, like I'm betraying you emotionally. But that's not the main reason that I think we need to break up, it's just that right now we are at crossroads. You don't want to go to New Rome, and I would be miserable if I were to put my dreams on hold and wait for you to be ready." She let out a shuddery breath, and he gave in to the urge to hold her hand, to comfort her. As much as his heart was breaking, Percy couldn't bear to see her in pain.

"What happened to being together forever? I really believed we would get married and have a family one day? We've been through so much together, Annie... How could you just let that go? Just give me a few more weeks, I’ll go to New Rome with you," his voice was strained, but he forced himself not to cry. Yet. 

"No, you won’t. You’ve been saying that for months. Really, it's for the best…" Annabeth whispered, and he wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself. "A part of my heart will always belong to you, Percy. Still, I can't help longing for Piper, and it doesn't help that I know that she wants me too and that she will be there in New Rome with me. Maybe if not for that, a long distance relationship could work. Maybe it wouldn't. The thing is, if I don't end this now, I might end up doing something that I could never forgive myself for. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, I'm sorry for dumping all this on you all at once. You don't have to forgive me, but I hope you understand why I'm doing this. You can find your own happiness without me. I know you will. Perhaps we'll be together again one day, but til then I will never stop being your friend." She left him with one last kiss, her lips ghosting over his before she turned and fled. 

Percy sat there frozen, a hundred thoughts running through his mind, all that he could not voice. His first instinct was to run after her, to pull her back and kiss her deeply, to ask her not to leave him. Then, all that Annabeth had just laid bare settled on him, crushing him with its weight. 

He let her go.


	3. Aftermath (n.) the after-effects of a significant unpleasant event

For the longest time, all Nico wanted was a family. Perhaps that was because he hadn’t yet realized how annoying families could be - especially immortal ones. His father had begged him to go help out in the underworld, but as it turned out, ‘helping out' meant distracting his overbearing grandmother (or should he say aunt?) so that Hades and Persephone could get some time alone. Nico did not even want to think about what they were up to. All week, he had alternated between backbreaking manual labor in the plantation and being stuffed full of grains. He felt like a turkey; an overworked turkey. Hades certainly owed him a huge favor. One week of Demeter's cooing about how pretty he was and trying to mess with his personal life had nearly driven him insane.

As much as he hated to admit it, he missed Camp Half-Blood. He missed the way Jason hammered at his cabin door at infernal hours of the morning (Nico still refused to leave his bed before noon). He even missed the way Will would check in with him to make sure that he was eating enough. He missed spending time with the few friends he had, and he especially missed training the younger kids in sword fighting. They looked at him in awe and admiration, instead of the fear and distrust he was accustomed to. 

Turning to look out of the window, Nico recognized strawberry fields and the big house. Back at last. He thanked Jules-Albert, receiving the usual grunt from the zombie, before starting to make his way back to his cabin. After the war, walking through the camp didn't seem all that bad anymore. He received fewer suspicious glances from the other campers, and they didn't seem as hostile as before. Perhaps Reyna’s display in front of the whole camp, as well as Percy and Jason repeatedly recounting Nico's contributions toward saving the world, had helped ease the negative connotations the son of Hades carried.

Cabin Thirteen - home sweet home. The obsidian walls hadn't changed one bit, but with Jason and Hazel's help, the interior now seemed far more inviting. For starters, there were now two windows, with tinted glass that let in light yet preserved Nico's privacy. The whole place had been refurbished, with the most comfortable bed the demigods could find, an upscale, modern kitchen, and an enormous bathtub. It had cost a fortune, but it wasn't like Nico had much else that he could do with the generous allowance Hades sent him. Almost everything was still black, but there were jewels inlaid into the furniture, and the drawer handles were made of a pristine white material (Nico thought it was ivory; Hazel was convinced it was human bones). All in all, the place was vastly improved. 

Even after he had showered and changed, it was still seven in the evening, far too early to sleep. Normally, he would have to take a nap, but after the grueling week, he hadn't trusted himself to shadow travel, choosing to get Jules-Albert to drive him instead. It was just as well since he didn't need to deal with the usual fatigue. There was still enough time for him to pay Jason a visit, and maybe grab dinner.

When Nico stepped out the shadow of Zeus' statue in cabin one, a strange sight greeted him. Jason was sitting up on his bed, Percy in his lap. The later was fast asleep his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Jason (curiously shirtless) was absently stroking circles on his back, eyes lost in the distance. 

Nico felt a sharp, ugly pang of jealousy. That wasn't new. It had taken him forever to get over his grudge against Annabeth. What was new, though, was that he didn't know who it was directed at. Jason had broken up with Piper, but the last time he checked, Percy was still with Annabeth, and both boys were straight. He had no idea what he was seeing. Not that he mattered - Percy and Jason could do whatever they wished; it was none of his business anyway. Perhaps there was some other reason they were in a suspiciously post-coital position. Nico drew the shadows around him, preparing to escape. Before he could, however, Jason caught sight of him and flinched.

"Nico…" he whispered, a pleading look on his face. "wait."

As tempting as it was to vanish on the spot, Nico let the shadows slide back to their natural positions, padding towards his best friend and his old crush. 

"Annabeth broke up with him." Jason looked conflicted, seeing as he knew all too well what this meant for Nico. He tried to reach out to Nico, but found that he couldn't move without waking Percy, so he settled for looking like a kicked puppy instead. 

Nico nodded in understanding. "I… I'm not mad at you, Jace. Just need some… some time… to… " Why couldn't he form coherent sentences? He tried again. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

The relief that was apparent from Jason's expression made him both guilty and annoyed. He wasn't going to run again; he had promised.

Jason smiled. "Maybe after that, we can hang out together, just the two of us?" He offered.

Nico tilted his head in agreement, before turning around and disappearing into a shroud of shadows.


	4. Secrets (n.) things that are meant to be kept unknown

Jason was a little surprised and honored that Percy had come to him. On the Argo II, they had gotten along for the most part, even calling each other ‘bros’, but he figured that there were others Percy would rather confide in. Then again, it wasn't like Percy could turn to Annabeth or Grover for help. The former, for obvious reasons. The latter, because he was so busy ‘doing Pan’s work’ that his presence in camp was unwonted.

Still, Jason was pathetic at trying to reassure and comfort others. He had frozen like a statue when Percy had barged into his cabin, grabbing him and bawling into his shirt like a baby. If the tears streaming down his face hadn't made that obvious enough (Jason couldn't remember ever seeing the hero cry), the fact that both his hands were gripped in fists, bleeding profusely, definitely showed how his emotions were in disarray. Jason had dragged him into the bathroom, shoving some ambrosia down his throat and tending to his wounds. Sure, he could have called Will Solace, but the medic had a tendency to make a huge fuss, and he wasn’t sure if Percy would appreciate the company.

He knew what had happened without needing to ask. While Percy and Annabeth had appeared to be the perfect couple ever since the war ended, but anyone who knew them well enough had to have felt the palpable tension between them. Plus, Piper had confessed her feelings for the daughter of Athena to him three weeks ago. Then, she had been so sure about her and Annabeth that he couldn't help worry about Percy and Annabeth's relationship. 

It wasn't until two hours later, having cleaned up, taken a long bath and changed into one of Jason's oversized sweaters, did Percy finally speak.

"Annabeth left me. For Piper. They’re going to New Rome together." Percy finally said, his voice hoarse.

Jason sighed. "I know."

"You aren't upset?" 

Jason shrugged, then shook his head.

"I've known for about three weeks, and I’ve suspected as much before that. Piper said she was in love with Annabeth, but I wasn't sure if it went both ways. When we broke up, Piper made me promise not to reveal anything until she sorted things out. I think she and I will be okay."

Their relationship hadn't been a lot of things, but at least they had been honest with each other. The moment Piper had been sure of her feelings, she had come clean to Jason, and in return, he had told her about his growing affections for a certain Nico di Angelo. Not that he had needed to, as a daughter of Aphrodite and one of his closest friends, she probably knew his heart better than he himself did. Jason did love her, but not necessarily in a romantic sense - after all, he had never chosen to be her boyfriend. Their entire relationship was built upon a false premise created by Juno. When he had met Cupid in Split, the god had questioned if he had found true love, and Jason had found himself questioning that too.

"Do you love her?" Percy asked.

"I honestly don't think so. I will always love her as a friend, but whenever she had said ‘I love you' in the past, it always felt strange when I said it back. Really, if Annabeth could love her more, make her happier than I ever could, then I can wish them well."

"But I did. So much. Was I not good enough for her?" Percy sounded broken. Jason had spent the rest of the evening comforting him, assuring him that things were alright; no easy task considering how the boy seemed to be in a completely different world altogether, sea green eyes glazed over. Jason still couldn't understand why Percy had come to him. Perhaps it was because both their girlfriends had left them, but either way, he truly hoped he had been able to help, at least a bit.

He had nearly fallen asleep when Nico had shadowed in. Even though they had spent a year as close friends, Jason still found Nico unpredictable, and not just because Nico was always sneaking up on him (Jason was so going to hang a bell around his neck one day.) He had known that Nico was back at camp, but he would usually have stayed in his own cabin until the next morning at least. It was the worse time possible for him to suddenly drop in, right when Jason and Percy were basically cuddling on his bed. So, it was much to Jason’s relief that Nico hadn't fled, instead letting him explain what was happening. 

Jason squirmed slightly, trying to make himself more comfortable without waking Percy up. Percy mumbled something in his sleep and pulled Jason back, refusing to let him move away. Sighing, the son of Jupiter consigned himself to a sleepless night. As always, he found his thoughts drifting towards Nico. How had one introverted, moody demigod somehow become the most important person in his life? After Gaea had been defeated, Jason had kept his promise to be a good friend to Nico, checking in on him at least once a week. At first, Nico had been cold and grumpy, dismissing him and saying that he was busy. To give him some credit, Nico had been involved in the funeral rites and had helped some campers summon the souls of their friends for them to say their last words. After that, he had been busy helping out in the infirmary. 

Then, to Jason’s surprise and delight, after daily life in camp had somewhat returned to normal, Nico had approached him. Nico had asked _him_ to help him start using his underworld powers again, after half a year of not daring to use them. That mainly consisted of distracting Will so that Nico could practice, and tending to the stubborn brat whenever he overexerted himself. Jason had been worried at first, but two months passed and Nico had declared that he was more powerful than he had ever been. No one who had witnessed his practice sessions dared to disagree. For a moment, Jason thought he would be seeing less of the son of Hades. However, now that he could use his powers without worrying about fading into the shadows, Nico insisted on helping him build the shrines to the gods, as he had promised Kymopoleia. The other campers hadn’t taken too kindly to him raising the dead, but with his undead forces, Nico had been able to transport the stones Jason required with ease. Jason had liked the help, but what he liked even more, was that the two of them ended up spending almost all their time together.

Jason absolutely loved hanging out with Nico; it always felt comfortable; natural. It had taken some time, but Nico had gradually grown used to physical affection. Now, Jason could hug his friend if he wanted without fear of being impaled by a stygian iron blade. They had scarcely any secrets they didn't share - he already knew of Nico's sexual orientation and his crush on Percy. It had been up to the younger teen to confide in Jason about his fears that he would always be shunned and ostracized, the way he still had nightmares about Tartarus, how he hated being alone. On the other hand, Jason had shared his insecurities about how he was always expected to be the perfect leader, how his sense of identity was nebulous, especially since he still didn't have all his memories, how he was terrified that he would make a wrong decision which would cause him to lose his friends.

Perhaps the only thing Jason had kept secret was how he felt about Nico. He hadn't expected that - Hades, he had never considered the possibility of himself being into other guys. Still, he found himself staring at Nico's creamy pale skin, imagining him trailing his fingers over the smooth surface. He found himself kissing Piper, yet fantasizing of how it would feel to kiss Nico. He hadn't even truly come to terms with it until he had talked to Piper and spent some time by himself sorting out his feelings.

But Nico could never know. Their friendship was too precious for him to ruin it with his fantasies of romance. Jason would have to be content with being his friend. The alternative - losing him - was simply unthinkable.


	5. Altschmerz (n.) weariness with old issues that one always had

It was nearly noon by the time Nico woke up. Still half asleep, he quickly showered and changed into a part of skin-tight black jeans and a white t-shirt with a coal-colored skull on it, pulling on his favorite article of clothing - the new aviator jacket Reyna had bought for him, seeing as he had lost his previous one.

Half an hour til lunch. He figured he still had time to make a call to Hazel. Grabbing a handful of Drachmas from the secret stash in his drawer (there was a small fortune hidden there), Nico made his way to the creek, where the water crashing against the rocks provided a rainbow suitable for Iris Messaging. "O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show Hazel Levesque, Camp Jupiter." He muttered, waiting for the image of his sister to appear.

She was in the Praetor's villa, having breakfast with Frank and Reyna. Hazel was technically supposed to stay in the barracks, but her boyfriend had been able to convince the senate to make an exception. Once she caught sight of her brother, she beamed excitedly, while Reyna's eyebrows quirked up slightly (the Reyna equivalent of a smile). Frank simply nodded and waved.

"Good morning! As you can see, I'm back at camp." Nico greeted.

They exchanged pleasantries, telling Nico about the news in San Francisco, before Frank left to start with their Praetor duties, buying Reyna a bit more time to chat. 

"Enough talk about Camp Jupiter - things haven't changed all that much. What about you, Nico? Hazel informed me that you were in the underworld for a week?" Reyna asked.

"Actually, I wasn't in the underworld. Dad sent me to a farm in California, where grandmother proceeded to torture me for a whole week," he grumbled.

Hazel snickered, knowing that her brother was being dramatic. "As insufferable as that woman can be, it seemed to do you some good. You look great!"

Nico had to grudgingly admit that she had a point. Over the last year, with the collective effort of Will, Jason, Hazel and Demeter, his health had improved tremendously - no longer was he a bleached, skinny corpse. His skin, while still pale, didn't seem nearly as sickly, and he had gained more than twenty pounds in muscle and height (At this rate, he might even be taller than Percy one day). It would be a long, long time before he would be able to walk confidently around camp shirtless like the other guys did, but at least he actually looked like a living human. 

"What do you plan to do now that you're back?" Reyna inquired, sensing that Nico was uncomfortable receiving compliments.

"Well, pretty much the same thing as always. I'll help Jason with construction, maybe spend some time teaching sword fighting to the younger kids if Percy is busy. Oh, and I also promised Will that I would help out more in the infirmary."

At the mention of Will, both girls tensed slightly. "Will? How're things between the two of you?" Hazel look concerned, whereas Reyna bristled.

Nico had dated Will for nearly three months over the summer, despite Will having been flirting with him since the previous year. It had taken a long time and a bit of pestering before he had finally agreed. His reluctance wasn't because he hadn't liked Will. The son of Apollo had proved to be a considerate, kind and accepting boyfriend, respecting Nico's boundaries and never faulting him for his inhibitions. Still, Nico had never felt the same flood of desire, the same obsessive devotion that he had with Percy. At first, he had dismissed any qualms, convincing himself that he would need time to fall in love with Will. While he did feel comfortable around the blond, he couldn't help but feel that he was holding his boyfriend back. Will was quite a social butterfly, while Nico still got nervous when in the presence of more than five people. Furthermore, despite being a demigod, Will had spent nearly all his life in camp and struggled to comprehend the extent of the horrors Nico had faced. Nico would find himself cuddling with Will after he woke up from a nightmare, but then going over to Jason if he felt the need to talk about it.

It had actually been Nico who ended the relationship, when he finally couldn’t take the guilt anymore. He explained how he felt honestly, but "I'm not good enough for you" had not fully convinced Will. "I think I'm still in love with Percy" had been just as true, and reason enough for Will to refuse to talk to him at all for a month.

Reyna had never really approved of Will; she felt that he was taking advantage of Nico's fragile emotional state. Hazel had been concerned, yet supportive. Jason had seethed for quite some time before coming to terms with the fact that Nico was more than capable of making decisions for himself. Still, despite his repeated assurances that the breakup had been pretty much entirely his fault, Reyna and Hazel were still worried about how he was coping with it.

Nico didn't regret the time they had spent together. They did have a lot of fun, and he had learned so much about both himself and Will. He did, however, feel guilty for wasting Will's time and letting him down. 

Any interaction between them had been a bit awkward ever since. They had tried to be friends, but it hadn't been easy. Will had slipped back into doctor mode, remaining fairly professional, whereas Nico stuttered and stammered far too much to utter anything coherent. Nico sincerely hoped the situation would improve before Will left camp. Perhaps they weren’t a couple anymore, but he did treasure their friendship.

"Things are still a bit weird between us, but all in all, I think it'll be okay." He replied, then sighed, realizing that he probably should tackle the elephant in the room. "Are you two aware of certain Greek demigods moving to New Rome?" he ventured.

Hazel rolled her eyes, but Reyna's features clouded over. "Nico!" She admonished sternly. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, stop now. You are just going to get hurt again."

It was obvious that she knew what he was talking about. Piper and Reyna had spent quite some time hanging out after the war whenever the daughter of Aphrodite had visited Camp Jupiter, which meant that Reyna was probably in the loop with regard to the romance between Annabeth and Piper. 

As far as he was aware, only Jason, Percy, Annabeth, Will, Hazel, and Reyna knew of his old crush on Percy. He had been adamant that he was over it, but he knew he was just fooling himself. After breaking up with Will, he had admitted to Reyna that as much as he tried, he couldn't completely get over his feelings for Percy. She was the only one who knew that.

Reyna gave him a look, drawing his attention to a very confused-looking Hazel. 

"Piper and Annabeth are moving to New Rome, which you probably know." He explained. "They will probably start dating each other." A nod from Reyna confirmed his suspicion.

Hazel looked even more puzzled. "B...but Jason..."

"He and Piper broke up a couple of weeks ago." Reyna supplied.

"But Percy..."

"Is a mess," Nico stated. "Annabeth only broke the news to him today. Reyna, I can handle this. He's clearly hurt and depressed, as his friend, I should be there for him." 

Reyna looked tempted to argue, but a voice shouting for her from downstairs prevented that. "I've gotta go. I love you, Nico, and I trust you, but please be careful." She gave him a small smile and hurried off.

Hazel narrowed her eyes. "There's something you're not telling me. I can feel it."

Nico sighed. "I really don't want to go into specifics over Iris Message, but I don't think I'm entirely over Percy. Reyna's just worried that he and Annabeth breaking up will give me false hope." He chuckled bitterly. "Don't worry. I know fully well that he will never feel the same way towards me."

Hazel frowned, probably slightly hurt that he had confided in Reyna and not her. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but her reactions tended to be more… dramatic. 

"Nico di Angelo, listen up. When you come over to Camp Jupiter, you and I are going to have a long, detailed talk about your love life." She ordered fiercely. "I swear I'm going to find a boy worthy of your love."

Nico couldn't help but shiver. As innocent and sweet as Hazel was, she could be a real force of nature when it came to matters that concerned her family. 

Eager to escape an interrogation, he hastily assured her that everything was okay, told her that he loved her and waved his hand through the image, ending the call. 

Even after a year had passed, Nico still found it hard to believe that there were so many friends who were deeply invested in his well-being. Reyna, Hazel, Jason and Will were the ones he trusted most, but he knew the other members of the seven, even Coach Hedge and Clarisse, cared too.

As he strolled to the dining pavilion, he couldn't help but smile.


	6. Spite (v.) deliberately hurt, annoy, or offend someone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In commemoration of the release of the Dark Prophecy (which is awesome), I'm posting ten chapters this week! The plot of this story won't follow any of the points in the Trials of Apollo series (Apart from the general idea of Apollo becoming mortal and the power of Prophecy being lost), so don't worry about any spoilers!

Will strode over to the Hades table, where Nico was sitting alone, munching on a pomegranate. He sighed exaggeratedly, before grabbing a plate from a passing wood nymph and presenting it to Nico with a flourish.

"Enjoy your lunch!" He beamed, ignoring Nico's weak protests as he returned to his table. The tantalizing aroma of the pasta made Nico realize how hungry he actually was, he eventually relented and took a bite, savoring the rich, nostalgic taste. He glanced at Will, who wriggled his eyebrows at him, then quickly looked away, trying to hide his grin. 

After finishing his food, Nico packed some sandwiches for Jason, before tossing the remaining half of his pomegranate into the fire for his father. He found his best friend at the fringe of the forest, working on a shrine. Upon closer inspection, he could see that Jason was painting the bow of a winged figure… Eros? Nico growled. If Jason thought he would be able to sneakily complete the shrine while Nico was away, he was clearly out of his mind.

"Jason!" He called, beckoning to the blond. Once he was out of harm's way, Nico pulled two obsidian pillars out of the ground, crushing the statue between them. 

"Nico!" Jason wailed, "I spent the whole week working on that."

"Precisely."

Jason just sighed, as if he half expected such a response from Nico, "Are you sure it's a good idea to anger the god of love? He can't kill you, but he would probably curse you."

Nico shrugged defiantly, "It was cathartic. Also, if it makes you feel any better, the shrine will be rebuilt by tomorrow." He flicked his wrist, and a whole legion of zombie construction workers started crawling up from a hole in the ground.

Jason started to protest, but Nico flippantly said, "Demeter had been feeding me with magic cereal all week long; I've more than enough energy. Come, let's go. You don't have anything to do now anyway."

Still looking annoyed, Jason nevertheless followed Nico into the forest. "Does this foul mood of yours have anything to do with what happened last night? I promise that I wasn't making a move on Percy. It's not like either of us is interested in the other."

Nico didn't doubt that. He knew that his jealousy was irrational, but his emotions didn’t seem to get the message. "Speaking of Percy, where's he? Weren't you babysitting him?"

"He's ‘swimming'," Jason replied, "which means that he is probably moping at the bottom of the lake, and won't be back until he’s hungry." 

"I'll save some fish and chips for him."

Percy hated eating fish, for reasons Nico didn't really understand. Leo claimed that it was because consuming fish felt like cannibalism to him.

"You're awfully mean today," Jason commented. They found a rocky outcrop at the foot of a hill, and Nico chose a smooth rock to sit on. Jason nudged him to the side so they could share the rock, patiently waiting for a reply.

"Yes, it's partially about Percy." he paused, and Jason waited patiently for him to continue. "I've always held him and Annabeth to be the paragon of true love, and it's just… unimaginable that they would split up, so soon at that. It's kinda making me lose faith in love." He admitted, adjusting Jason’s glasses (it had become a nervous tic for him).

When he did meet Jason’s gaze, the son of Jupiter was smiling broadly. Even after more than a year of friendship, it was still rare that Nico would divulge his innermost feelings, but Jason always seemed delighted when he did. 

"That's not all, though. I'm beginning to realize that all of you are leaving camp - Annabeth and Piper, then Will… I know that Leo and Calypso are planning to open their own garage in the future, and eventually, you and Percy will leave too. Then, I'll be all alone in camp again. It sucks being sixteen, you know, I feel trapped. It's not like I can go to college. There's really nothing that I could do outside Camp." Nico stared at his feet, feeling embarrassed to have admitted how he felt.

"Then you'll just make more friends," Jason assured him soothingly.

"I don't want new friends! I still don't belong here; the other campers still don't particularly like me. I just don't want to lose you..." He realized that he probably sounded like a petulant brat, but the words were already out of his mouth.

Tenderly, hesitantly, Jason reached for Nico, pulling him into an embrace, as if he expected Nico to squirm away. Nico merely sighed contently and leaned into him. "I can't speak for the others, but I can promise you that I will be here for as long as you need me. Considering how many shrines I have to build, I'll probably be here until I'm old and bitter like Mr. D anyway." Jason laughed at his own terrible attempt at humor.

Nico carefully extracted himself from the hug. He hadn't wanted to let go of Jason (who smelled of ozone and mountain breeze, an oddly comforting scent). Still, he had heard the rhythmic crunch of leaves that suggested someone was approaching.

"Lovebirds! Quit trying to make me puke already." That sharp, fierce voice could only belong to one person - 

"Clarisse La Rue," Jason growled, making the name sound like a curse. "What are you doing here?"

"Personal business." The daughter of Ares snapped. The fact that Chris Rodriguez appeared a moment later, carrying a picnic basket, was a pretty good clue as to what they were up to. He waved to the duo, before dragging Clarisse deeper into the forest.

Jason looked mildly embarrassed, but Nico merely stood up, making his way back. 

"Thanks for… listening. And being there for me." He mumbled. 

Jason smirked. "Always. Also, I should be thanking you too. I know it isn't easy for you to open up and be vulnerable in front of others. The fact that you felt comfortable enough to say what was on your mind means a lot to me."

Nico didn't quite know how to answer, so it was a good thing that they had reached the site of the shrine to Eros. The zombies had barely gotten started; Nico was glad to see that they had lugged a giant rock from somewhere and were already in the midst of chiseling it into a statue. He had a feeling that it would turn out better than what Jason had done originally.

"Don't make too nice," Nico grumbled. "When you're done, if Jason doesn't mind, go refurbish my dad's shrine too." He glanced at the Roman (who didn’t mind).

"You really didn't need to do the whole thing for me, you know," Jason complained. "I was the one who promised to build these shrines."

"Well, I did destroy nearly a week of your work, so it's my fault. It’s not like I'm going to completely take over your job, anyway, just this one. Can we talk about something else? Don't tell me you spent the whole week building one stupid shrine."

Jason probably recognized the attempt to change the topic, but he gave in and started to describe what had happened in the past week, and his Pontifex Maximus duties. They spent the rest of their time before dinner strolling around camp, casually chatting and catching up.


	7. Antephialtic (n.) something that protects against nightmares

As Jason had predicted, Percy didn't return until after nightfall. Nico had generously packed him a salad, instead of fish which he would have refused to eat anyway. Jason had saved something more substantial for him. Percy looked about the same as always; he had taken the liberty of fully healing the cuts on his knuckles, and he was clothed at least. Still, one thing about him that had changed were his eyes - no longer were they the rich emerald they had been in the past; instead, they seemed dull and lifeless.

The son of Poseidon took the food but seemed unwilling to talk. He trudged back to his cabin, shutting the door. 

Jason sighed. "I hope he's okay."

"Did he have nightmares last night?" Nico asked, his brows furrowed.

"I don't know. He woke up in the middle of the night and went back to his cabin. When I checked on him in the morning, he had already left, and that was around eight o'clock." 

"That can't be good. I'll see what I can do." Nico didn't have to elaborate - Jason knew of his nightmares of Tartarus, as well as his hypnokinetic abilities. 

Returning to his cabin, Nico went through the motions of preparing for bed, but was too worried to sleep. He finally gave in and traveled to outside the Hypnos cabin. It was fairly late at night, but the inhabitants of Cabin Fifteen slept all the time, so it wasn't like it made much of a difference visiting so late. Clovis ushered him in, looking slightly annoyed but nevertheless listening while Nico explained the situation to him. 

"Normally, I do my best to avoid the dreams of you, Percy and Annabeth. But..." he managed, before promptly falling asleep. Nico snapped his fingers. "Huh? Oh, I was saying that I'll keep an eye out for anything particularly bad, and tell you if that happens." Clovis drawled, before shoving him back out.

Nico mumbled his appreciation, before shadowing back to his cabin, not wanting to be caught walking around by the harpies. 

The shadow traveling had tired him out so much that he fell asleep almost instantly. Thank the gods he hadn't had any nightmares. Instead, he dreamt of trying to cook Italian food with Bianca, under his mother's tutelage. It was bittersweet, but any memory of his family was still precious. He had almost been annoyed when he heard Clovis' voice telling him to go check on Percy.

In an instant, he had transported himself to the Poseidon Cabin, where Percy was scrunched up into a bundle at the corner of his bunk, screaming in terror. Nico tried shaking him and yelling his name, but Percy didn't respond in the slightest. Then, Nico had a flash of inspiration. He formed a cup with his hands, carefully scooping some water out of the fountain, before throwing it at Percy. The boy stirred, and Nico repeated the process until he finally woke up.

"Annabeth?" he muttered, confused, looking around the dark cabin.

Oh right - not everyone could see in the dark as well as he could. Nico managed to find the light switch, flinching as bright light flooded into his eyes.

Disappointment flashed across Percy's face for a moment, probably as he realized that Annabeth wasn't there. If he was surprised to see Nico there, he didn't show it, simply smiling weakly and muttering "thanks".

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nico asked, hesitantly. 

Percy remained silent for so long that he had been about to leave, but finally moved to dry himself and the bed, gesturing for Nico to sit beside him. "How did you know?" he asked.

Of course, Nico knew. They had this one experience in common after all, and Nico spent way too much time worrying about the well-being of a certain son of Poseidon anyway. He sat down tentatively, deciding to settle for a technical response. "Emotional stress can trigger or worsen nightmares." This was something he knew from personal experience - after breaking up with Will, he had spent a whole fortnight sleeping in Cabin One, with Jason to comfort him. Percy probably had it much worse.

Percy sighed, running his fingers through his coarse dark hair. "I think you're right, it's probably related to Annabeth and I breaking up. Jason probably told you about it?"

Not sure whether he was supposed to have that piece of information, he simply shrugged.

"Well, I was _there_." Percy shivered "Alone."

Nico, the one who _had_ been _there_ alone, could empathize. 

"It was way worse than the usual. I wouldn't have survived more than five minutes without Annabeth, you know? I'm still amazed at how you managed. I was standing there, and I could see for miles all around, but Annabeth was gone. I've never felt so hopeless before." 

Nico still felt flustered at the sort-of compliment. Surviving Tartarus wasn't the kind of thing one felt proud of, but Percy being amazed by him? Focus, he told himself. "I find it helps if you know that it's a dream. Tell yourself that it's not real, and you'll wake up soon. Also, remember that we are all here for you, okay?" Nico hoped he sounded reassuring. 

Percy stretched out his arms. "Can I?" he asked, hopefully.

Surprising both of them, Nico pulled him into a hug, allowing Percy to squeeze him tightly. Almost instantly, his traitorous heart started to pound frantically, but Nico tried to ignore it, silently repeating his mantra of ‘friend, not _fidanzato_ ’.

Ignorant of the younger teen's inner turmoil, Percy hummed contentedly. It was a long time before either of them pulled back.

They sat there in silence for a while, enjoying the other's company, before Percy started to doze off. 

"I guess I'd better get going," Nico mumbled, moving to switch off the light. 

As he pulled the shadows to him, he heard Percy whisper "Thank you. You're a much better friend than I ever was."

Nico wasn't sure if he found that comforting. Nevertheless, he smiled sadly, before returning to his own cabin. He was going to regret the consequences of so much shadow travel the next day, he could tell. For now, he climbed back into bed, closing his eyes and trying to banish any stray thoughts.

The scent of the sea still lingered on him, and he dreamt of Percy Jackson.


	8. Parting (n.) the action of leaving/being separated from someone

It was a bright, sunny day when Piper and Annabeth left camp, (then again, every day at Camp Half-Blood was bright and sunny), which was a juxtaposition to the feelings of their friends. Now that the two girls were leaving, and Leo and Calypso would be gone by the end of the month (only Jason and Piper knew that though), only two of the Seven remained. 

Nearly the entire camp had congregated around Thalia's pine to send them off; even Percy, who was curiously hidden behind Jason, had made an appearance.

"Have a safe flight. Don't forget to IM us when you reach Camp Jupiter," Chiron told the two.

Piper, being Piper, had gone around hugging all of her friends. When she came to Jason, she looked up uncertainly, opalescent eyes brimming with emotion. He hugged her tightly. "I hope you're happy, Pipes," he murmured.

"You too, Sparky," she replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.

She had even hugged a bewildered Nico, whispering into his ear, "take care of Jason for me, okay?" 

Nico had been even more puzzled, looking around to check if anyone else had overheard. Then he nodded, "Send my regards to my sisters." Then, he realized what he had just said. Reyna was like an older sister to him, but he had never actually voiced that out. From Piper’s grin, she had probably guessed that, and Reyna was certainly getting the message… oh well.

Annabeth had followed Piper's lead, going around and hugging everyone. She had looked a bit awkward when she came to Nico, which made him feel bad. They both liked each other as individuals - Nico admired her ingenuity and resolve, and Annabeth seemed pretty okay with him as well. Yet, there was still a Percy Jackson sized rift between them. 

"Take care, Annabeth," he told her when she let go of him. She nodded in thanks, averting her gray eyes. 

He saw the tears streaming down her cheeks when she embraced Percy, who looked close to tears himself. For once in his life, Nico found himself wishing that the two of them could be together. They clearly loved each other immensely, and the heartbreak between them was palpable. 

Then, without a word, they parted, and Annabeth climbed onto her pegasus. There was another chorus of goodbyes, and Leo yelled, "We'll miss you, Beauty Queen and Wise Girl!" 

Nico had to admit that he would miss them too.

The rest of the day was tainted with the afterimage of their departure. It was clear that Percy was barely keeping himself together. He has simply stared at his lunch, reluctantly taking a nibble once in a while. Seeing as his lunch consisted of slices of blue pizza, that had been especially worrying.

Jason pulled Nico aside after lunch. "Was he okay last night?" He asked, the concern evident in his expression. 

Nico rolled his eyes. "You aren't his mom, Jason. He had nightmares like I expected. I tried to help, but there's only so much I can do."

Jason's eyes lit up, like they always did whenever he had an idea. "His mom! You think we should bring him back to Manhattan? It ought to be better than moping here."

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" Nico groaned. "It's just a little heartbreak. You make it sound like he's going to drop dead the moment you stop babying him."

"Come on, he's our friend. We should try to help him."

Nico snorted, his tone self-deprecating. "Who said I wasn't going to? Gods know that’s what I’ve been doing for years."

"It's not like I'm going to do this for ever," Jason assured Nico. "I'm just a little worried. Annabeth had better be right when she said that them breaking up would be better for them in the long run." 

Nico sighed, but didn't argue any further. "Okay then. Hey, do you want to spar for a while?"

Jason thought it was a great idea, so they headed to the arena, finding it unusually empty. There were a few demigods training by the sides, but they all gave a wide berth to the son of Poseidon who was ferociously beheading training dummies near the center of the arena.

Nico stepped forward, drawing his stygian iron sword. "I think I'll make a better target than some poor, defenseless dummy," he quipped, jabbing at Percy. Startled by the sudden interference, Percy nevertheless parried the attack, swinging his sword at Nico. Jason watched in awe as they continued slashing at each other, their fighting styles similarly Grecian but simultaneously distinct. Percy channeled his angst and strength into every strike, whereas Nico dodged and ducked, trying to catch Percy off guard.

He wondered if Nico had suggested going to the arena because he suspected Percy would be there, or if it was just a coincidence. Either way, the two seemed to be having too much fun for him to interrupt. So far, they seemed evenly matched, neither managing to land a hit on the other, which was just as well as they hadn't bothered to wear armor. Jason had a feeling that the Romans would have a heart attack at just how dangerous that was. 

Just then, Percy managed to disarm Nico, pointing Riptide at his neck. The Ghost King merely smirked, ducking behind a training dummy and vanishing, appearing behind Percy a moment later, tapping him on the shoulder with the flat of his blade. 

Percy tried to turn around, then realized that it was probably a bad idea when there was a sword sitting on his shoulder. He looked at Jason, a pleading look in his eyes.   
Jason acceded, drawing his gladius and charging towards Nico. To his credit, Nico looked entirely unphased, pulling out a silver dagger, and switching his style to allow him to defend against attacks from both of them. 

Even with their combined force, it took them quite a while to subdue Nico. When they finally knocked him down, he simply laid there in the sand, too tired to move, let alone shadow travel. 

By then, a sizable crowd had gathered, eagerly watching the three of them spar. Jason pulled Nico up, and they were overwhelmed by a group of young demigods asking questions and demanding for a demonstration of certain moves. Jason was glad to see almost half of the kids crowding around Nico, gushing about how awesome it was that he could take on both Percy and Jason at once. Nico simply stood there bashfully, answering their questions to the best of his ability. 

"Where did you get that dagger?" One of them asked. Jason listened curiously, not knowing the answer to the question himself. 

"It was a birthday present from Reyna, it's made of enchanted silver in case I ever have to fight a werewolf again." he had said, showing the others the glinting dagger proudly.

By the time the last of the kids were done with interrogating them, it had nearly been dinner time. They returned to their own cabins to shower and change, before making their way to the dining pavilion. Dinner was relatively uneventful, save for Chiron announcing that there would be a game of capture the flag the following day.

Instead of heading to the Hypnos cabin again in person, Nico opted to visit Clovis in his dreams. He found Clovis sitting in bed in an almost perfect replica of Cabin Fifteen, down to the tree branch dripping water from the River Lethe. (Nico always stayed far away from that.) 

"You knew I'd come?" he asked.

Clovis shook his head. "I felt it when you were first trying to get in, which gave me time to change the dream to one… More suitable." He looked embarrassed at that, hastily continuing "I can't watch over Percy all the time, you know. Being in his nightmares is going to give me nightmares of my own."

Nico sighed (it seemed he was doing that rather often). "There ought to be something we can do... "

Clovis shrugged. "Either of us could send him pleasant dreams, but it probably wouldn't be healthy in the long run. We dream for a reason - many dreams have certain links to real life, and interfering with this natural process might take a toll on his already limited cognitive ability. He has to heal in some other way; the nightmares won't stop, but they would be less frequent and more manageable, as you already know. Nico, if you're so worried, why don't you sleep in his cabin or something."

Nico flushed, glad that the darkness concealed his face. Just when he thought Clovis was saying something insightful, he had to go and ruin it. Perhaps he had stumbled upon one of Nico's dreams about Percy before? He shuddered at the thought. Best not to consider that too much. 

"I'll try to discuss what you said with him. For now, though..." he trailed off, not sure how to put it. 

"I got it covered. You have five days to sort things out. Until then, I'll make sure he has no nightmares. Now, get the hell out of my dream, you're wasting my precious time." Clovis groaned, waving his hand dismissively.

Nico knew better than to point out that he spent nearly all of his time sleeping anyway. Instead, he thanked the son of Hypnos and left. For all his standoffishness at times, Clovis had always been exceptionally nice to Nico. Perhaps it was because they shared similar abilities and sometimes crossed paths in the dream realm. Whatever the reason was, Nico was grateful for his help.


	9. Agonism (n.) belief in the potentially positive aspects of certain conflicts

Capture the flag was a welcome distraction from Percy's woes. As expected, he and Jason were made the leaders of the two teams, which left all the other cabins to choose their alliances. So far, Jason had recruited the Apollo, Demeter, and Aphrodite cabins, while Percy had managed to the Hermes and Ares cabins on his side. The Athena cabin was still undecided, claiming that they would need to ponder more to make the ‘tactically advantageous decision'. Percy wondered if it was because they had yet to decide if he should be blamed, or sympathized with, for Annabeth breaking up with him. He had tried asking the Nike cabin for help, but they were busy weaving laurel wreaths, preparing to congratulate and decorate the winners. 

Nico, meanwhile, had been mysteriously absent the whole day, which was why Percy had gone to cabin thirteen to find him. 

"Nico! Capture the flag is starting in an hours time! You're on my team, right?" he called.

The cabin door slammed open, revealing its grouchy occupant. "I'm not playing. Rather stay in and read this," he raised the book in his hand, and Percy struggled to figure out what the title was. "Don't bother trying to decipher it, it's in Italian."

"Oh..." Percy muttered, glad that his dyslexia hadn't been the problem for once. Before he could say anything else, a sudden gust of wind blew past them. 

"Hey! You aren't trying to steal Nico from me, are you?" Jason accused, landing a few yards away and walking over. "I got the Hephaestus cabin on my side," he announced, grinning triumphantly. "Had to spend an hour flying around camp to find Leo and Festus, though." He looked expectantly at Nico.

"I don't belong to anyone," the son of Hades grumbled. "Anyway, capture the flag is pointless. I could go against the whole camp and still win." 

He wasn't speaking out of arrogance - while it felt awfully like cheating, technically the rules did not prevent him from shadow traveling to the flag and back. Perhaps that was the reason Nico always refused to join in whenever they played. Knowing him, though, Percy suspected that it was more likely because Nico didn't like interacting with so many people at once. 

"It's okay, you don't have to join us. You might want to watch, though - I have a feeling that this will be an interesting battle." Jason offered. Normally the Athena cabin would be on the team against Percy. Those games tended to end more predictably. 

"Yeah, I'll finally get the chance to thrash you," Percy taunted, nudging him and grinning. "and Nico? Shadow traveling is totally cheating. Didn't your doctor tell you to lay off that?"

"I could still beat you without shadow traveling." Nico retorted, mentions of his doctor apparently still a sore spot. 

Before the other two could start arguing (from the look in his eye, Percy already had a comeback), Jason decided to intervene. "We'll take you up on that next time, Neeks." he said, "Now, let's get moving. We don't have much time left." He grabbed Percy by the sleeve, tugging him towards the forest. Nico trailed after them, still holding on to his book.

"Okay everyone, listen up. Our strategy will be.." Percy trailed off, realizing that he did not actually have a plan.

"Oh, what would you do without us, Percy." Malcolm, the new head counselor of the Athena cabin took his place beside Percy, addressing the team. "Most of the campers on the other team are more defensively oriented. The Demeter cabin has been known to summon vines to tangle attackers up, and the Apollo cabin would be hidden somewhere with their bows and arrows. As usual, the Aphrodite kids would probably try to misdirect you with charmspeak. That leaves Jason or Leo to sneak in by flying, which means that it would be best for Percy to defend the flag. There is a place upstream where the creek diverges into a small stream, we can put the flag there. The Hebe cabin can help him to defend the flag. So, the Ares cabin will engage them directly, with us children of Athena assisting. The Hermes cabin will locate and steal the flag. Any questions?" He looked around, looking nods and agreements to what seemed like a sound strategy. Percy had to admit, he was impressed. Planning their strategy based on predictions of what their opponents would do was something Annabeth did as well.

Annabeth.

He swallowed down the agony that rose up his throat at the thought of her, instead focusing his attention on choosing a suitable spot to plant their flag. He couldn't wait for the game to start - he could be a screw-up in nearly every other aspect of his life, but at least no one questioned his combat abilities. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason watched as his friends took their positions, Leo hovering over the flag menacingly, perched on Festus. He still didn't feel comfortable with the fact that the whole team was relying on him for victory, but that had been the best plan they could think of. Once Chiron blew the horn signaling the game's commencement, he took off. From the canopy of the forest, he watched as children of Ares charged in fearlessly, supported by the Athena cabin. They all got charmspoken into confusion and assaulted by shrubbery. From behind, a volley of arrows flew past him. (He would have feared for his life if not for the skill of the Apollo cabin, and the non-lethality of the arrows.) Chiron had deemed traditional celestial bronze-tipped arrows too dangerous, so the Hecate and Hephaestus had worked together to supply them with special arrows. They had a wide range of effects, from sticking to the demigods' clothes and dragging them down, to delivering a low-voltage electric shock, even blasting "I'm sexy and I know it". (That was probably Leo's creation). So far, his red team seemed to be doing a good job holding back the assault. Leo hadn't even started fighting yet, from the looks of it.

As Jason neared the stream, he saw Percy standing guard, looking around warily. Without hesitation, he dived down at the son of Poseidon, brandishing his gladius. This would be a good fight; he hoped Nico was watching. 

Percy caught sight of Jason barrelling towards him, blasting him with a jet of creek water before he could land. Momentarily blinded by the water in his face, Jason flailed about for a bit, before crash landing in some bushes a couple of feet away. It took a while to for the blond to regain his bearings, but when he did, to his surprise, he saw Percy peering at him, concern written all over his face, making no attempt to attack. He subconsciously scanned his opponent, instinctively assessing the threat. Percy was wearing a breastplate over his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, but no other armor. He wiped the water out his eyes, then took the opportunity to strike while Percy was off guard. Percy easily blocked the gladius thrust towards him, all the while whining that he hadn't been ready. 

"All's fair in love and war, bro." Jason teased, dodging another jet of water Percy sent his way. 

"So, you're saying that you're in love with me?" Percy retorted jokingly, raising his eyebrows. 

"Nah, I'd prefer to date someone who's my… intellectual equal." Jason shot back.

A flash of hurt flashed on Percy's features, and Jason realized that he had probably reminded him of the difference between Annabeth and him. Feeling slightly guilty, Jason made a mental note to say something to boost his self-confidence later on; while Percy was by no means book smart, he could still be insightful in other ways. 

Seeing two girls from the Hebe cabin approaching them out of the corner of his eye, Jason summoned a strong wind, which swirled around them and forced the others to keep their distance. The two continued to fight with both their sword and their powers, until Jason finally managed to pin Percy down with one hand, reaching for the flag with the other. 

"Nico!" Percy yelled, straining to be heard over Jason's windstorm. "A little help would be appreciated." Jason followed his gaze to a tree nearby where the shadows seemed to have coalesced. In his surprise, he let go of his hold on the wind, trying to spot the elusive son of Hades. 

Leaves rustled, and he heard a chuckle. "Why should I help you? What's in it for me?" Nico's voice asked, sounding amused, but try as he might Jason couldn't spot the boy himself.

Taking advantage of his distracted state, Percy had wriggled away, retrieving Riptide and engaging Jason in duel again. He gave Jason a smug grin, then called, "If you help me, I'll dunk Sparky here into the lake!"

"No deal. If I wanted to I could always do it myself." Came the snide reply.

"Hey!" Jason protested. "How is it that I don't get a say in whether I get dunked? Nico, if you help me, I'll give you… umm… Brownies?" At the last moment, he realized he didn't actually have much to offer Nico, and just said the first thing that came to his mind. 

Percy started snickering at his pathetic offer, then had to stop and leap aside as a gigantic chasm tore open the ground between the two of them. 

“Okay, I’m joining the red team.” Nico proclaimed, still hidden up on the tree.

"Di immortales!" Jason yelled, as a creature the size of a car pulled itself out. Percy followed with "oh shit!" when he realized what the creature was: a Nemean Lion. Judging from its relatively small size, it must have died before becoming fully grown, but that didn't make it much less intimidating.

The animated pile of bones glared menacingly at the son of Poseidon, before advancing towards him. Percy did the best thing to do in such a situation; he ran. 

Jason smirked as the son of Poseidon fled. At least he didn't scream, unlike the other campers who encountered the undead monster. Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed the flag and took off. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Percy had still been running for his life when the horn sounded, signaling the end of the game. In response, the lion collapsed back into a pile of bones, sinking back into the dirt.

Cursing Nico under his breath, he made his way back to the meeting point by the creek, where most of the others had already gathered. The members of the red team were all grinning, with Leo doing some sort of victory dance (much to the mortification of Calypso, who had wisely stayed out of the game). Percy tried to apologize to his teammates for being unable to defend the flag, but they assured him that no one expected him to be able to win against two other children of the Big Three. 

Chiron congratulated the winners once again, and told them to make their way to the dining pavilion, where a celebratory dinner awaited them. Everyone followed after him, joking and laughing together. One thing Percy loved about this Camp, was that no less than five minutes after the game had ended, the boundaries separating the two teams had already vanished, everyone returning to their previous state of minglement.

Nico was nowhere to be seen, which was just as well since Percy still felt like murdering him. Or maybe not. Still, he wasn't going to let the traitorous brat off the hook so fast. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Due to the special occasion, Chiron had allowed them to sit anywhere they wanted. Jason was crammed in the center of the Hephaestus table, with Leo by his right and Jake by his left. Jason thought that the banquet was great, especially the turkey that the nymphs had specially prepared for the occasion. It was too bad that Nico hadn't turned up. After all, he had been the key to their victory. Speaking of victory, he had been harassed by the cabin seventeen non-stop. The moment he had landed back on their side of the creek, there had been a mad scramble to put a laurel wreath on him. Thank the gods the ordeal was finally over. Perhaps he should pack some food for Nico? Come to think of it, Nico did that quite often when he was busy working on shrines, so it was about time he returned the favor. 

Right then, Leo said something and looked at Jason expectantly, waiting for his answer. Seeing his bewildered expression, he gave the son of Jupiter a knowing look. Calypso had noticed Jason's newly-acquired habit of zoning out in the middle of a conversation, and Leo had pestered him constantly until he finally caved and admitted to his crush on Nico. Thankfully, Leo and Calypso had been accepting and helpful, promising to keep his secret. 

Before Leo could repeat his question, Chiron rose from his wheelchair at the head table, revealing his full equine form. He clinked a spoon against his goblet to draw everyone's attention. 

"Good evening, campers. As some of you already know, today is Thanksgiving Day. While you take this opportunity to show your gratitude to your friends and family, do not forget to give thanks to the gods as well. I hope you enjoy your meal."

As Chiron finished his announcement, the lively chatter resumed. Jason watched fondly as Leo described his valiant defense of their flag against the Hermes cabin, gesticulating wildly. He then looked over to Percy, seated with the Athena cabin. Despite the circumstances, Percy was holding up fairly well; he was grinning as he watched Clarisse threaten to maul a daughter of Aphrodite for making snide comments about her hair. 

He hoped for Percy's sake that he was genuinely okay, and not just putting up a facade.


	10. Infirmary (n.) a place where healing occurs

The infirmary was fairly crowded, as it always was after Capture the Flag. Medics scurried around, administering first aid to the injured demigods. As far as Nico could see, no one was seriously injured, so he wasn't particularly worried. 

The instant Will spotted him, he got a roll of bandages thrust at him. "Thanks for coming to help, Nico - we could really use it. You can start with Blake over there." He gestured to a son of Aphrodite (if Nico remembered correctly) waiting at the corner of the room, with shallow cuts all over his chest and arms. "Also," Will added, "as cool as it might have been, do I really need to tell you how dangerous summoning the skeleton of a Nemean Lion was?"

Nico washed his hand and put on sterile rubber gloves. "I had perfectly good control of the lion. No one could have gotten hurt." He argued. Moving over to the injured demigod, he helped him take off his cut and bloodied shirt, before starting to clean and dress his wounds.

Will huffed. "Tell that to the girl from the Hebe cabin who was so scared that she was crying." He passed Nico a slab of ambrosia, before moving over to tend to another camper. 

Will had a point. Nico usually didn't care all that much about how the others thought of him, but traumatizing a young child was a different matter altogether. Guilt started eating at the moment he realized that. 

He finished bandaging what looked like a spear wound on Blake's arm, offering him a piece of ambrosia and some water. The injured camper looked too tired to speak much but still smiled at him in gratitude. That was one of the reasons Nico had come to enjoy working in the infirmary so much. At first, it had been to spend more time with Will, who practically lived there. It had taken some time for the patients to get used to him, basically an embodiment of death itself, trying to heal them. When they finally did, though, the appreciation he received made the hard work worth it. 

"The girl you said I scared… Do you think I should go apologize to her?" He asked Will uncertainly. 

Will had seemed mildly surprised, then had beamed at him, a twinkle in his eye. "Her name's Alice. Be kind to her, okay? Oh, and come back when you're done." 

That was how, an hour later, Nico found himself outside the Hebe cabin, putting up a shadow puppet show. At first, Alice had been terrified of him. Then, she realized that he actually hadn't intended to hurt anyone with the undead lion, and her fear seemed to evaporate in an instant. She had started bombarding him with questions about his powers, and his role in the wars. Having only arrived in camp that year, the six-year-old had only heard about them from her friends and siblings. When he explained how he could control shadows, she asked if he could make shapes out of it. 

Come to think of it, he had never even tried doing that before. He stared at the ground, trying to imagine it as a blank canvas. In the evening light, the Hebe cabin cast a silhouette perfect for this purpose. His brow furrowed in concentration, he formed the shapes of three playful kittens. Alice had laughed, delighted, and tried to pet them with the shadow of her hand. 

Nico had to admit, the girl had been far nicer to him than he expected. After he had helped to save the campers from being decimated by the Romans, the hostile glares and whispers behind his back had stopped for the most part. Even then, the Greeks treated him with fear tinged respect, rather than amiableness. If there was one thing he liked about the children of Hebe, it would be that they all tended to be forgiving and accepting. After warming up to him, Alice had been nothing but inquisitive and endearingly sweet. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Jason would never have believed the scene in front of him; Nico and a young girl crouched on the ground, having fun with shadow kittens. The girl said something, and he laughed, his gorgeous dark-chocolate eyes twinkling. Nico's laugh was the most beautiful sound Jason had ever heard. He longed to hear it again; to be the reason for that laughter. The Fates were inhumanly cruel for weaving such a deeply unhappy life for the son of Hades, for making that cute sound such a rare occurrence. One of the things Jason had begun to realize in the previous year, after the revelations in Split, was that Nico was precious and should be cherished. Jason had fallen for Nico's character and personality before he even considered the younger teen's appearance. Now that he did, however, he couldn't help but think that Nico was absolutely stunning. With sharp, elegant features, long jet-black hair, luminous pale skin and full, pouty lips, he did resemble a doll in certain ways. He was simply unworldly perfect. 

Trying not to let that thought affect his composure too much, Jason approached the duo, hoping that no one caught him staring at Nico like a creep. 

Nico introduced Jason to Alice, before telling her that he had to go. 

The girl grinned. "Thanks, Mister Nico, for showing me all that cool stuff! Come play with me again some other time, okay?" When he said he would, she hugged him, waved to Jason, then bounded back to her cabin. Nico looked a bit surprised, smiling as he got up to leave, tugging Jason with him.

"I didn't know that you were so good with kids," Jason remarked as they walked to wherever Nico's next destination was. 

"Me? Really? I'm just glad that she isn't terrified of me… anymore. I feel bad for scaring the other campers with that lion. Wasn't too great of an idea, in hindsight. I’m not even sure if it was against the rules." 

"I thought it was a great idea, seeing as our team won," Jason smirked. "Thanks for the help, by the way. The others have probably seen worse; except for Alice, I guess. They won't be mad at you."

"Percy probably will."

"He'll probably understand that it's just a game. Anyway, he couldn't possibly be angry with you after tomorrow," the blond claimed smugly.

Nico narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You better tell me if you're secretly planning something."

"It's nothing much," Jason replied, waving his hand dismissively. "I just called his mom just now, and she invited us to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with her and Paul."

"You seriously went through with that?" Nico snorted, incredulously. "Then again, Percy would probably be overjoyed. What does that have to do with me, though?"

"Neeks, you're coming with us, of course! Percy's probably going to want to spend time with his family, so we could explore the Upper East Side for a bit. I mean, if you want to, that is?" Jason tacked on.  
.  
"Oh… Yeah, I'll go, I don't have much else to do anyway." Maybe staying over at Percy's home wouldn't be the best way to get him out of his mind, but after seeing the hopeful expression in Jason's eyes, he didn't have the heart to turn him down. After all, it could turn out to be fun. “You think Will would want to come along with us? I think he and Percy are pretty close, they do seem to have been spending quite a lot of time together lately.”

"I’m a step ahead of you,” Jason chuckled. “I had him in mind already when I was checking with Sally. She said that it was fine if there were three of us, as long as we don’t mind all sharing a room or sleeping on the couch. Oh, and we should arrive around six so that we can have dinner there." 

By then, they had arrived at the infirmary. Nico turned to Jason, "Okay then. I promised to help out with the injured campers. I’ll check if Will wants to join us. See you tomorrow?" 

"See you!"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As it turned out, there wasn't much left to do, so Will set him to work organizing the medical supplies. The storage room had always reminded Nico of a library, but with boxes instead of books. Every single item had its own code and location on the shelves, and Will threw a fit every time he found something out of place. 

"Austin’s an idiot," the head medic declared. "The healing salve goes here," he dumped the box on a different shelf, "not there… Oh wait, he freaking mislabeled them! I'm so going to kill him."

Nico smirked inwardly as he watched Will grumble death threats under his breath, knowing that he could scarcely bring himself to hurt a fly, let alone his own brother. 

They continued to work, and a long, tense silence stretched out before Will finally turned to him. "Nico, can I ask you something?" he asked, tentatively.

There it was. Nico could read Will well enough to tell he had been holding back that question for some time now. 

"Are you and Jason dating?" he continued when Nico didn't respond. "It's just, you seem really close all the time. I saw him walk you here just now."

"W...what? No… we aren't d...d..dating." Nico spluttered, feeling his face heat up. "Jason's just unbelievably nice to all his friends."

"So Percy then? I heard that he and Annabeth broke up."

"Will!" Nico growled. "They just broke up. Exactly. What makes you think Percy would be remotely interested in a relationship? It's not like whoever I date is any of your business." He huffed. "Also, glad to know that you think I'll happily throw myself at any of my friends who are single. Not to mention that they are straight."

"I'm sorry, Nico.” Will sighed, “You know that's not what I meant. It honestly seemed like you were pining over someone. Anyway, I know it hasn't been easy on us, going back to being friends again. But as hard as it might be for you to believe, I genuinely care about your well-being, and that includes being a busybody and asking you about your life. That's what friends do, right? If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay."

Will had always been hard to argue with. Personally, Nico would make threats, Annabeth would quote statistics, and Percy would use his baby-seal face, but Will usually just said how he felt, and his sincerity would win just about anyone over.

"I'm sorry too, I guess I overreacted," Nico said, putting his head in his hands. "How I feel is irrelevant - nothing's going to happen between us. So I would appreciate if you didn't pry."

Will nodded. "I understand. Just know that I'll be here if you ever need to talk. I made a huge mistake, ignoring you for a month after we broke up. It was a horrible thing to do, and I swore that I'll never do something like that again, to anyone else for that matter. Even if I'm not in camp, you can always Iris Message me, you know that?"

From the way he was fidgeting with his stethoscope, Nico guessed he was contemplating if he should go in for a hug. Nico relented and stretched out his arms, feeling the familiar warmth of his ex-boyfriend wrapped around him. Will was beaming when he finally let go. 

"I should probably get going. It's pretty late, and we're almost done with packing." Nico told him, returning his grin with a small smile. “Oh, I forgot to ask you, Jason was talking to Percy’s mom just now and she invited the three of us to spend the weekend at her place. We’re supposed to bring Percy along, but don’t tell him. Jason wants it to be a surprise.”

Will looked surprised. “I’d love to go! Didn’t know Jason would think of including me. Tell him thanks on my behalf. Hmm, Percy did seem fairly depressed for the past few days... Don’t worry, I’ll help you all cheer him up!”

“Just drop by my cabin around five. But I’m warning you in advance, one word about that crap about Jason and I or Percy and I dating, and I’m going to sic a hellhound on you.” Nico made an attempt to look intimidating.

"Mrs. O’Leary is cute, though… Anyway, I promise I won’t say anything. Thanks again for helping me out here. And Nico? We Greeks and Romans usually aren't as straight as we seem. I thought I was straight two years ago," Will smirked. "See you tomorrow, Deathboy."

“Don’t call me that!” Nico complained, before making his way back to cabin thirteen, lost in thought. Maybe what Will said was right? He pushed away the possibilities surfacing in his mind. No sense getting his hopes up, just to have them crash and burn again.


	11. Home (n.) the place where one belongs

"Grace, I swear I will shadow travel you to China and leave you there if you don't stop that incessant knocking now."

Jason simply smirked, waiting patiently at the door until he heard it being unlocked. "There better be a good reason why you woke me up at eight in the morning," Nico grumbled.

Jason stayed frozen in the doorway, his wide eyes glued to the boy in front of him. "Uhh… Neeks…"

Nico looked down at himself, realizing that he had completely forgotten to put on clothes; he was wearing nothing but a pair of slightly tattered black boxers. Turning a shade of beetroot, he dashed to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Jason realized that he must have been looking at Nico like he was going to devour him, but thankfully, Nico seemed blissfully unaware. Still shocked and flustered, he stepped into the cabin, rummaging through Nico's drawer to get him some clothes. He knocked on the bathroom door and passed the boy his clothes when the door opened just a crack.

Jason was fairly certain he had seen Nico without a shirt on before, but never in this state of undress, in that context. His svelte body and baggy clothes hid the fact that he had sinewy, well-defined muscles. Also, he had just a dusting of dark hair below his prominent abs.

He took a seat on the bed, trying to restrain his thoughts. What happened to being a paragon of calm and collectedness? He shouldn’t be letting something like that get to him so much. 

It was a good ten minutes before the son of Hades finally emerged, hair still dripping wet. He still seemed a bit embarrassed, but mostly annoyed. "So, what did you want?"

The blond grinned, holding out a piece of paper, on which he had copied the brownie recipe Leo gave him. "I promised you brownies, didn't I? Do you want to make them together? The recipe is from Aphros the Ichthyocentaur, it's supposed to taste divine."

Nico facepalmed, grabbing the recipe and reading it. "You woke me up for this?" Despite his apparent reluctance, Nico was the one who suggested getting baking supplies from the Demeter cabin. When they got back, hands full of flour, eggs, butter and chocolate, he rummaged through his kitchen, miraculously producing a baking tin and mixing bowl. 

The hours flew by, as they mixed ingredients and threw flour at each other, casually bantering the entire time. Jason hadn't had so much fun in basically forever - even in a time of relative peace, his job as Pontifex Maximus kept him busy. He wished every day could be like that; just spending time with Nico and enjoying his company.

The first batch of brownies had turned out perfect, a lovely cocoa shade, crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. In fact, Nico had been so proud of their creation that he had started a fire outside his cabin, tossing in a few slices for his godly relatives. Judging from the pile of baking supplies that awaited them in the cabin when they returned, Demeter, Persephone and Hades enjoyed the brownies too.

Percy had barged into the cabin sometime after that. "Why was there a fire outside just now? Are yo- ooh, brownies!" He had helped himself to some, then complained that they weren't blue. Nico had asked if Percy was mad at him for sending the Nemean Lion skeleton after him, but the sea prince had merely shrugged, saying that it wasn't all that bad, considering how he had faced a fully grown and very much alive Nemean Lion before. While Nico went to explain the sudden fire outside his cabin to Chiron and also get lunch, Jason and Percy figured they couldn’t let a gift from the gods go to waste. 

In the end, they ended up making another two batches, one of them being blue, and another with walnuts. (Why Percy had blue food coloring lying around in his cabin was a different matter altogether.) When Nico returned, Jason sent Percy out to distribute the extras to the other campers, taking the chance for him and Nico to pack some clothing and supplies.

Sometime in the evening, Will appeared and told them that Leo and Calypso wanted them to visit. Percy was suspicious when Nico insisted they shadow travel to Bunker Nine, but agreed to go with them.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they emerged from the darkness, Percy realized they weren't in Camp Half-Blood anymore. Taking in the familiar surroundings, it finally hit him that they were in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He looked at the other three, waiting for an explanation.

"Surprise!" Nico squeaked, before all but collapsing into Jason's arms. It wasn’t hard for Percy to deduce the rest. 

The controlled weather in camp made it easy to forget the passage of the seasons. New York was covered in a thick blanket of snow, though it did little to deter the throngs of pedestrians, who glanced curiously at the four underdressed boys as they hurried along the streets. 

"Let's go up before we freeze," Jason called, and Percy realized that he was already in front of the five-story brick row house, half carrying Nico. Will gently pushed him forward, urging him to hurry up.

Home. The thought hit Percy as he took in the scene in front of him, with his mom standing by the entrance to welcome them with a friendly smile. He leaped forward, racing towards her, jumping into her arms and nearly knocking her over. 

"It's great to see you after so long, Percy." she choked, squeezing him tightly.

The other three simply snickered, making their way up to find Paul.

“Percy, are you okay?" Sally asked, wiping tears away from under his eyes. He hadn't even realized he was crying. 

"Definitely not okay." She decided when he did not reply, pulling him up the stairs. Leading him to his bedroom, she closed the door and sat him on the bed. The room hadn't changed since the last time he had visited, which was a comforting detail in his life that seemed to have turned upside down. 

"What happened?" his mother inquired, waiting patiently for an answer. 

He took a deep breath. "Annabeth… S...She broke up with me."

Sally looked at him in utter shock. "Why?" she whispered.

"She f...fell in love with Piper." he stammered. "Maybe if I hadn't been so dumb… so impulsive… so..."

Sally sighed, taking Percy's trembling hands in his and kissing him on his forehead gently. "It's not your fault. It never was. Some relationships aren't meant to be. I know it isn't easy, but if she's happy with Piper, then you'd feel happy for her too, right?"

"It hurts." he murmured, so softly that he didn't think she heard. Though she probably knew that already.

Talking with his mom did make it easier. The ache in his chest was still present, but it had faded to a dull throb instead of being a bleeding wound. Perhaps that was because he had come to terms with them no longer together. He still had no idea how to live a life without her, but he had accepted that as reality. When they finally emerged from his room more than an hour later, he found Jason and Will casually chatting with Paul, talking about the Roman Camp (Paul was still struggling to wrap his mind around the concept, it seemed).

Sally went back to her bedroom to change out of her tear-and-snot stained dress (bless that woman for putting up with him) and Percy did the same, finding Nico snoozing in his room. It was quite a feat that he actually managed to wake him up for dinner.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner was probably the best meal Nico had ever eaten since his mother died. Almost every dish was made from scratch by Sally and was absolutely delectable. The conversation flowed smoothly, though they wisely stayed away from any discussion of Piper and Annabeth, or life-threatening battles for that matter. It just felt so… normal. Nico had almost forgotten the warmth of a family. He couldn't find it in him to be envious of Percy, though, who deserved a loving home just as much as he did. After dinner, Jason had produced a box of brownies he had packed earlier, delighting Paul and Sally, who complimented their baking abilities after Jason regaled them with the tale of how Leo had obtained the recipe.

Jason had offered to help with the with the dishes, but Sally insisted on doing them herself. They all settled on the couch, with Paul on the recliner. When she was done, she brought out glasses of wine for Paul and herself, as well as sparkling fruit juice for the boys. Seeing as the others were busy watching some movie, Nico sneaked into the kitchen to get a glass of wine for himself. It was a deep red cabernet sauvignon, one of the few that he actually liked the taste of.

"I didn't know that you drink," came Jason's voice as he entered the kitchen, nearly causing Nico to drop the glass in shock. 

Nico grimaced, but took another sip, relishing the bitter-sweet taste as it slid down his throat. "Don’t tell Will. Anyway, the reason I started drinking is because my dad, being great and all," he replied, voice tinged with sarcasm, "has this gigantic wine cellar in his palace. I could stroll in and drink whatever I wanted and he never even said anything about it. At first, it had been an awful attempt to be cool; then I got drunk to escape from my problems; now though, I guess I just got used to the taste." 

“Did you ever think of the underworld as your home?” Jason asked, out of the blue. Seeing Nico’s confused expression, he explained, “It’s just… Seeing Percy’s reaction just now, it made me think of how I didn’t really have a home for the longest time - I didn’t truly feel like I belonged at Camp Jupiter, and as much as I like Camp Half-Blood, can it really be considered one?”

Nico shrugged, feeling melancholy. “I don’t know,” he admitted, “The underworld isn’t a very inviting place. Camp Half-Blood is pretty much the closest thing I have to a home. I think that home isn’t a place, though - it’s a feeling. So if you think Camp Half-Blood counts, then it does. Or perhaps you will make your own home one day.”

Jason looked like he was going to say something, but changed his mind, instead reaching for the glass and examining the garnet liquid it held. "Let me try." Nico passed it to him, and he took a small sip, his face wrinkling in disgust. 

"Personally, I think it tastes horrible" he declared, returning the glass. "Don't drink too much, okay?" he smiled at Nico’s disappointed expression, ruffling his hair and ignoring his growls of protest.

There wasn't a spare room in the apartment, so all four teenagers made themselves comfortable in Percy's room after saying goodnight to their hosts. They had moved a spare mattress to the floor so that Nico and Jason would have someplace to sleep. It was a good thing Percy still had clothes there, including nightwear, since he hadn't managed to pack anything.

"Are you sure you're okay with sharing a bed?" Jason asked when they were all done showering and changing.

Nico nodded. "It's fine. Will and Percy are sharing too, after all. Just let me do this first," he hovered a hand over the sleeping son of Poseidon. "Clovis and I are giving him pleasant dreams for now, but we can't keep it up for long," he explained.

"That's why he seemed to be in a better mood the last two days," Will muttered, already half-asleep himself. Jason moved to the side of the bed to give Nico as much space as he could, which still wasn't much considering how much of the tiny mattress he already took up. "Let's worry about that tomorrow, okay? Good night, Neeks."

Nico switched off the light and lay down beside him. "Goodnight, Jace."


	12. Amusement (n.) the provision or enjoyment of entertainment

Percy awoke with a start, looking around frantically, before finally relaxing as his mind finally processed where he was. Also, he wasn't alone; Jason and Nico were curled up on the mattress… cuddling? In the faint morning light, he could make out Jason's large, muscular body spread out on the bed, with Nico curled up by his side, resting his head on Jason's chest. Both were sound asleep, Nico looking strangely angelic with his faint smile and serene expression, while Jason's normally hard, guarded expression on his handsome face had softened. Wait, since when did he think Jason was handsome? Well, it was an undeniable fact; with his chiseled features and quarterback-esque physique, he was a paragon of all-American sex appeal. Perhaps, Percy had simply never opened his eyes to the truth of the matter.

Just then, Jason sighed, pulling Nico closer to him. Percy snorted. So much for them not being a couple; he didn't quite know if he found their obvious adoration for each other annoying or endearing. 

"Rise and shine, lovebirds!" he announced, pulling back the curtains all the way. Nico opened one eye lazily, squinting in the sudden brightness, then realized the situation. With uncharacteristic speed considering how early it was, he wriggled away from the blond superman, fleeing the room with a mumbled excuse.

“Huh?” Will mumbled, startled awake and looking completely confused.

Jason groaned when he realized Nico was gone, unwilling standing up and glaring at Percy. 

"Might I ask what that was about?" Percy questioned, a cheeky grin on his face.

"We must have moved in our sleep or something. Given how tiny that mattress is, it’s hardly surprising. Now, shut up and let me have some peace." He stalked off to the bathroom.

Will gave Percy a questioning glance, but he merely shrugged. “Did you sleep well?”

“You pushed me out of the bed thrice,” Will deadpanned, rolling his eyes, “so I’d have to say nope.” Despite what he claimed, Will didn’t seem particularly mad, staying in the room to accompany Percy as he dressed.

Soon, the decadent aroma of bacon and pancakes streamed in, enticing them to join the others outside for breakfast. Percy wondered if blue pancakes would rid Jason of his grumpiness.

Nico nibbled at his blue pancake, staring at Percy in amazement as he shoveled food into his mouth. "How do you still manage to eat so much after yesterday's dinner?" 

Percy made to reply, but Sally beat him to it. "Mind your manners, young man. Don't talk with your mouth full. Also, Nico," she looked at him sympathetically (Percy had mentioned something about how his experience in the bronze jar had affected his appetite), "You'll probably eat just as much when you're his age."

Nico looked a bit doubtful, but smiled and nodded all the same.

"So, do you have anything in mind to do today, Percy?" Will asked.

"Actually, I have an idea. Let's go ice skating! I haven't gotten the chance to do that in a long time." he looked at Sally. "Mom, my skates are still here, right?"

"Yeah, but the others don't have any."

Nico shrugged, "We could always buy some. My dad gives me a rather generous allowance, and I don't exactly have much to spend it on. Do you want to join us, Mrs. Blofis?"

"I've already told you, it's Sally, dear. You boys go ahead, Paul and I have other plans. How about we meet you all later for dinner?" Percy's mother suggested.

They agreed to that plan, reluctantly getting into Percy's beaten up Prius so he could drive them to a nearby shopping mall.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite the cold, and the fact that it was still November, the mall was packed with people. Percy was the only one who seemed unfazed. Nico had never liked crowds, so he was a little comfortable, but Jason and Will seemed unsettled too. Perhaps they were unused to being around so many normal humans?

There were already hints of the festive spirit; workers were assembling a gigantic Christmas tree in the courtyard of the mall, and Christmas decorations were scattered throughout the shops. 

"What do you think of getting Christmas presents for the others, while we're here? We might not get a chance to before we head over to Camp Jupiter," Jason suggested. 

Nico thought it was a good idea. He had already gotten a gift for Frank - a new Mythomagic deck, and one for Annabeth - a book on ancient Italian architecture. He had no clue what to get the others. Gift giving was tough, especially now he had gone from worrying about buying one gift, to ten. 

“Oh, you all are spending Christmas in Camp Jupiter?” Will asked. “I’ve actually never been there before.”

“Oh yeah, Reyna invited all of us to go. It’s been quite some time since I last saw Hazel, and many of our friends there. Leo and Calypso said that they would be heading there too, so all of us will be able to get together and celebrate Christmas!” Nico explained, “Do you have any plans for the holidays?”

“Oh, I’m actually going back to visit my Mom in Texas. I’ve not been home in years, what with the wars and all that happening.” Will smiled fondly, “I wonder how my family is doing now.”

They wandered around the mall, occasionally going into a store when something caught the fancy of one of them. Percy and Jason asked him questions about what Hazel and Reyna would like - he found it hard to answer since neither girl was particularly fixated on material possessions. Eventually, he found a pretty, kaleidoscopic feather for Piper, and the latest model of a popular smartphone for Leo to disassemble. When he found a daffodil colored cashmere scarf that perfectly matched Hazel's golden eyes, he instantly knew it was the perfect gift. He even got a custom-made cup for Reyna that said "#1 Praetor". (Jason found it hilarious, for some reason). Halfway through their shopping, Jason suddenly made a lousy excuse and rushed off, which probably meant that he had found something he wanted to get for one of them. Taking the opportunity, Nico left Percy and Will at the arcade they had passed by earlier, and ran over to Toys ‘R' Us to get Percy a dolphin plush toy. After Octavian had murdered Percy's panda pillow pet, he had never gotten around to getting a replacement. He then got a watch for Will, hoping that the medic would actually remember to leave the infirmary for meals from time to time, instead of losing track of time and spending the entire day in there. 

That left Jason as the only one he hadn't found a gift for… well, he had bought something, but it was more of a joke than an actual present. Hopefully, he would have a better idea before he ran out of time.

After lunch at Mcdonald's (which involved Nico inhaling cheeseburgers while the other three made fun of his bizarre penchant for fast food), they headed to the ice skating rink at Central Park, eager to try out their brand new figure skates. 

It was a good thing the place wasn't overly crowded - the demigods would have been a real safety hazard, even if they had managed to hold back on using their powers. As it was, Jason tried to skate for all of five minutes before giving up and levitating half an inch above the ice. Nico managed to glide on the ice fairly gracefully - until he tried to turn and inevitably face planted, sprawling on the cold surface and yelping in distress. Percy skated in flawless figure eights around the two of them, calling out suggestions that didn't make much sense, like "feel the ice" and "stop overthinking". Nico suspected that he was controlling the ice with his powers anyway. 

He managed to stabilize himself by grabbing hold of Will's arm, which caused both of them to wobble precariously and nearly fall. They made a futile attempt to chase after Percy, which ended up with the three of them playing a rather unfair game of tag, with Jason floating by the side and cheering them on.

It was a relaxing experience, forgetting about quests and prophecies and destinies for once, letting themselves be somewhat normal teenagers, and relishing in the visceral fun of the moment. For the first time in nearly years, Nico truly felt like a kid again. From the cheerful looks on the other’s faces, they felt the same way as well.


	13. Plan (v.) decide on and make arrangements for in advance

When they got back to the apartment, the four boys headed directly for Percy’s room, too exhausted to do much else other than sleep. When Jason stepped back into the room after brushing his teeth, he realized that he had a problem. Nico had an annoying habit of bottling up and concealing his feelings; after storming out of the room in the morning, he hadn’t said a single word about what had happened. Jason couldn’t tell if he minded, but cuddling in their sleep wasn’t something _friends_ did. If he had crossed the line… if Nico were to realize how Jason had actually wanted to hold him in his arms… Not only would their friendship crumble, Nico might just vanish again, this time for gods know how long.

Seeing the hesitance in Jason’s eyes, Nico reached for him, urging him to lie down. “Don’t even think about running out to sleep on the couch for my sake, you selfless dummy,” he admonished, “Just give me a moment to override Percy’s dreams.”

“Umm, Neeks,” Jason trailed off as Nico turned back to see Percy very much awake and glaring at him.

“What did you just say?”

Nico looked horrified - like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. (Except in this case he was probably putting cookies in.) He cast his gaze towards Jason, eyes pleading for help. 

“I’m not too sure what happened exactly, but I guess that you were having pretty bad nightmares. Clovis and Nico were probably using their powers to allow you to have normal dreams for the meantime.” Jason supplied. Will, still looking confused, nodded to confirm what Jason said.

“It was just for five days! If you felt better after that then we would have stopped.” Nico added hastily. 

“I’m perfectly fine without your meddling. Don’t you think I’ve been dealing with nightmares for years already?” Percy snapped, eyes hard and jaw clenched. 

Jason unconsciously reached for his sword, ready to intervene if they started fighting, then realized that he had hidden it in the corner of the room so as not to scare Sally. Instead, he gently placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Nico retorted, “You weren’t okay. None of us have been okay for a long time.”

“So you weren’t even planning on telling me?”

“You would have said no. You’re always trying so help to live up to everyone’s expectations and solve all our problems for us, but when it comes to your own issues, you try to take them on alone. Let us help you, Percy.” Nico pleaded, his voice barely a whisper.

“I am. I must admit, coming back to visit my mom did help. And us hanging out and doing random stuff together helps too. Just stop using your powers on me from now on.” From the stubborn tone of his voice, the argument was over. 

Nico nodded, still looking upset. “ For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Seeing as the crisis had been averted, Jason looked to Will, and they simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

Miraculously, despite all that happened, Percy was asleep in minutes and didn’t seem to be troubled with nightmares. Hypnos didn’t claim Jason as willingly. He tried to lay still and disregard Percy’s faint snoring, and the soft puffs of Nico’s breath against his neck. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breakfast the next morning was a more subdued affair. Jason looked rather tired, Percy still seemed to be in a bad mood, and even Will seemed quieter than usual.

Finally, Paul broke the silence. “Percy turned eighteen three months ago, right? Do you have any plans to leave camp?”

Percy sliced into his pancakes with murderous intent. “At first, our plan was to go to a college in New Rome… ”

He didn’t have to complete the sentence. Everyone there was well aware of the situation. 

“What about you, Jason?” Paul quickly asked to divert the attention from Percy.

“I’ll probably just continue doing the same thing I’ve been doing all these while,” Jason shrugged, ”travel between the two camps and build the shrines I promised too. Given how many minor gods the Greeks and Romans have, it will be quite a long time before we get them all completed. Anyway, I also need to assist and advise the Senate in New Rome. Nico usually accompanies me to travel to San Francisco, which is pretty nice.” 

Nico could feel the megawatts of Jason’s smile even without turning his head.

“As for me, I’m still stuck at Camp Half Blood.” Nico continued, seeing as Percy remained taciturn. “Reyna did offer me a place at Camp Jupiter, but I’m Greek. It still feels a bit weird when people address me as Ambassador of Pluto. I don’t really have much of a clue as to what I want to do in the future.”

“Well I’m still sixteen like Nico, but I do want to work towards my GED, and maybe go to medical school in a few years time…” Will mused, “I have most of the medical knowledge already from working in the infirmary, so it probably won’t be too hard?”

“It’s great that you have something to look forward to!” Sally looked a little apprehensive. “Since we are all talking about the future, I guess we have an announcement to make too,” she started hesitantly, glancing at Paul. “We’re going to have a baby.”

The expression on Percy’s face shifted instantly. “You mean… You’re pregnant?”

Sally nodded, grinning.

“That’s great!” Percy exclaimed, with the others also chiming in with their congratulations, “I can’t believe I’m going to be an older brother!” 

“When is the baby due?” Jason asked.

“I’m about two months pregnant, so another seven months, if everything goes well.”

“Is it okay if I check?” Will offered. Sally moved closer, allowing him to place his hands over her belly gently. “The fetus is perfectly healthy. It’s too early to tell the sex, but give it another two months or so and I might be able to make a guess.” He concluded. Sally smiled at him, looking relieved.

“I’d love to have a baby brother,” Percy enthused. “I could teach him to play sports and we could go surfing together, and...”

“What makes you think a girl wouldn’t be able to do all of that as well? If she’s anything like your mom, I bet she’ll be more badass than you, Percy,” Will teased.

“Thanks, Will.” Sally laughed, while Percy growled in protest.

“Uhhh, have you all decided on names yet?” Nico asked. 

“We’re still considering,” Paul said. “If it’s a boy, maybe Dean or Zach? If it’s a girl… we still haven’t settled on a name yet actually. Any suggestions, Percy?”

“How about Bianca?”

Nico gasped. Jason and Will looked at him, then shot Percy incredulous looks. 

“That’s a nice name,” Sally said. “Any reason behind it, though?”

“I once knew a girl called Bianca…” Percy explained, looking directly at Nico. “She was really sweet and lively. I always felt that I didn’t do enough to protect her like I should have, so maybe, if it’s possible, I would love to take care of my baby sister as well as I could possibly can.”

Paul and Sally agreed to keep the name in mind for when the baby was born. Nico remained speechless until long after breakfast was over.

Not wanting to go out in the snow again, the four boys settled for lounging in the living room. Percy brought out the Finding Dory disc he had bought the previous day.

“Why did you do that?” Nico asked Percy, while the other two were trying to get the Blu-ray player to work. 

“I loved Finding Nemo, watched it like hundreds of times. Of course I’m gonna watch the sequel.”

Nico had to resist the urge to facepalm. “Not that, I meant suggesting that the baby be named Bianca.”

“Oh...” Percy frowned. “I hope you don’t mind. I wasn’t entirely doing that for your sake, actually. It’s just… I’ve seen so many people around me die, and sometimes, it feels like I let all of them down. Annabeth once said that I should try to honor those who have passed, but not dwell on it for too long. So, maybe this will allow me to make up for my mistakes in the past. ”

“It really wasn’t your fault, Percy. But thank you, this really means a lot to me.”

“Don’t get too happy, Nico, I’m still mad at you.” Percy snapped, but he was struggling to hide a grin. “Now shut up and let me watch my movie.”

Nico settled back on the couch, stealing some popcorn from Will. He didn’t really understand the point of talking fish, but the others seemed to like it just fine.

Looking around at the cozy interior of the Blofis residence, he couldn’t help but hope that he would be able to visit again soon.


	14. Revelation (n.) the making known of something that was previously unknown

It was on a perfectly normal Tuesday afternoon that Jason Grace realized that he was in love with Nico di Angelo. 

They were all cooped up in the arts and crafts building. Nico was helping Alice make bracelets from colored beads. Jason had tagged along, eager for any opportunity to spend time with Nico. He wasn’t too sure why Percy and Will were there, though. Maybe it had something to do with them all being single, but the four of them did seem to spend a lot of time together over the past month. It tended to involve all three of them trailing after Nico like lost puppies. Nico usually didn’t seem to mind, but right then, Percy was basically bouncing off the walls. Savior of Olympus or not, Jason was going to skewer the guy if he didn’t stop that incessant fidgeting soon.

Finally, Percy shot up. “I can’t take this anymore. If you need me, I’ll...” he looked at Will, who was nodding enthusiastically, “we’ll be at the beach. You coming, bro?” he asked Jason. 

Jason found himself reluctant to move. He _was_ bored out of his mind - he didn’t have a non-existent attention span like Percy, but arts and crafts had never appealed to him. However, the benches in the building were tiny, obviously being made for smaller kids, so with he and Nico sharing a bench, Nico was basically sitting on his lap.

Jason found it oddly comfortable. If he concentrated, amongst the smell of wood flakes and glue, he could make out a scent that was distinctly Nico - fresh pomegranates and… death? Not the putrid odor of rotting corpses as Nico probably feared, but something reminiscent of old books and dried flowers. Was it strange how much thought he put into that? 

So, to Percy and Will’s surprise, he opted to stay where he was. He watched as Nico meticulously picked out beads, laying them in neat piles for Alice to string up.

“I wouldn’t mind staying like this forever,” Jason realized, “because I love him.”

In that moment, all his emotions in the past months coalesced into a singular thought; puzzle pieces that had been there all along, but now finally forming a full picture, clear as day. 

Before he could fully ponder the implications of his revelation, the image of his ex-girlfriend appeared in the middle of the table, startling all three of them.

“Hey Sparky!” Piper greeted. She seemed to be sitting in one of the parks in New Rome.

“Oh hi, Piper. Do you mind calling back in a couple of minutes? I’ll find somewhere better for us to talk.” Before she could answer, he had already swiped his hand through the image. He wriggled out from beneath Nico and waved to Alice, before rushing out of the building and taking off.

No sooner did he land on the roof of his cabin did Piper’s image appear again. 

“Are you okay? You seemed a little… Oh.” Piper said, as she realized where Jason was. “What happened?”

“Don’t worry, we’re all fine. I just wanted to ask something personal. Pipes, how do you know if you’re in love?” 

“No wonder you didn’t want Nico overhearing you,” Piper laughed, “I don’t really know for sure, it’s a different thing with everyone. For me, I don’t have that much experience. I think when you love someone, they would be on your mind all the time, and you’d really enjoy spending time with you. Then again, you could say the same about friends you really like… Maybe something to do with how you want to do your best to make the person happy, and you want to be special to them? That’s how I feel about Annabeth… and how I felt about you too, actually. Come to think about it, the moment I realized I wasn’t in love with you anymore was when you were telling me about Nico, and my first thought was that I would be perfectly fine if the two of you dated. Then my second thought was… wait, shouldn’t I be jealous? I remember back when I first met Reyna, I was actually kinda worried that you still had feelings for her, and…” she laughed, “What was I trying to say again? This is kinda awkward.”

Jason smiled. “Well, thanks for giving me advice despite how awkward it is, then; I think I’m not as confused now. Was there any reason in particular for you calling? I know I haven’t called in a while, sorry about that.”

“Oh yeah, I called to ask you when you all would be coming over for Christmas,” Piper explained. “All three of you are coming right, you, Percy and Nico? I wonder if three sons of the Big Three traveling together would attract lots of monsters.”

“I think we’ll be able to handle it,” Jason mused, “there aren’t so many monsters nowadays, after all; it seems like they’ve all gone into hiding. We will arrive on the twentieth, and if Chiron doesn’t summon us back to camp, we will stay until the New Year, I guess?”

“That’s great! I’m glad we’re all able to get together again, I’m sure it’ll be so much fun! Have you done your gift shopping yet? I hope you’ve gotten better at choosing gifts...” She laughed. “Last year was a disaster.”

“It was one time!” Jason protested. “We’re all done with shopping already; we went over to Percy’s place over Thanksgiving. Speaking of gifts, I bet you got something really special for Annabeth, right?”

Piper blushed. “How’d you guess? I guess you could say it’s special… I found a really nice apartment in New Rome, and I thought I would ask her to share it with me; it’s really close to the college, and while Reyna has been nice enough to let us stay in the Praetor’s villa, I don’t really like the thought of taking advantage of her kindness for too long.”

“You’re asking her to move in with you? It’s a big step for you two, right?” Jason chuckled.

“It’s not like that! We aren’t even dating or anything. I’m asking her to be my housemate as a friend. Both of us just got out of relationships, I don’t really think she’s ready to start a new one just yet.”

“Okay then. I’ll wish you all the best, then, I’ve got to get back soon. Sorry for springing such a weird question on you like that.”

Piper shook her head. “It’s fine, I’m glad to help in any way I can. I still think you should go for it, you and Nico would make a really good couple. Oh, well, if I can’t change your mind, all I can do is wish you good luck.”

“Thanks, Pipes. See you soon!” 

Jason couldn’t help taking off at full speed once Piper ended the call.

Nico was waiting for him outside. As they walked to the beach, he proudly showed Jason his creation, a colorful bracelet that seemed to be humming with power. 

“I made this for Hazel, and when I was done it suddenly vanished, and reappeared in my hand again. I think my father enchanted it protect its wearer or something? I’m surprised that he still keeps tabs on what I’m doing, but it was nice of him to do something for Hazel.” Nico mused.

Looking at the intricate bracelet, Jason couldn’t help think that all of them were lucky to have someone as thoughtful as Nico in their life.


	15. Reunion (n.) two or more people meeting again after a period of separation

By the time they reached the Caldecott Tunnel, Nico couldn't wait to get out of the car. The journey to San Francisco had been fairly uneventful - not even a single monster attack. Jason, ever over-prepared, had planned stops at a number of good restaurants and eateries along the way. Everything had gone smoothly until the last couple of hours, when Percy suggested that they listen to music. They all agreed on that, just not the genre of music to play. Percy wanted pop music, which Nico hated. The fast, electronic beats gave him a headache, and the lyrics didn’t make much sense. He kept switching the radio channel to one that played rock music from the 40’s and 50’s, which caused Jason to change the channel again. Nico had eventually given up, watching Jason and Percy argue about whether Beyonce or Taylor Swift was a better singer from his safe spot in front (the other two refused to sit next to Jules-Albert).

Hazel, Frank, and Reyna were waiting for him by the entrance to Camp Jupiter. Nico was instantly tackled by his giggling sister. 

“I missed you too, Haze,” he smirked, kissing her cheek in greeting.

“You’ve grown taller!” Hazel exclaimed, tiptoeing and comparing their heights.

Reyna came over after greeting Percy and Jason, wrapping her arms around him, “Welcome back, _brother_.”

So she had heard from Piper. Nico flushed, but from her wide smile, Reyna didn’t mind in the least. 

“It’s good to see you again, Reyna. Come on, let's catch up with Percy and Jason before they wander off somewhere.”

When the group got to New Rome, it was no surprise that they received a warm welcome by the Legionnaires. Percy and Jason were dragged away by their friends/fans, but the Romans left Nico alone save for a few waves and nods, much to his relief. 

Looking at the pile of luggage that they had left, Frank sighed, “Hazel and I will carry these to where you’re staying. Go get ready, or we’ll be late.”

“Late for what?” Nico asked, confused.

“Well, Frank and I managed to get the Senate to reserve a guest villa in New Rome for you all, which wasn’t hard given your war hero status. However, since they know you’re here, you will be expected to attend the council session today, which starts in… half an hour.”

Nico groaned, but nevertheless went to track down the others to inform them. Politics in Camp Jupiter was a lengthy and tedious affair - it seemed like every member of the Senate loved the sound of their own voice and tried to speak for as long as possible. As ex-praetors and current Pontifex Maximus, Jason and Percy were expected to provide their opinions on a wide range of issues that they probably couldn't care less for. Nico had a far simpler job - look cool in his special black toga and ensure that no one did anything that could offend his father (not that anyone would dare to slight Pluto, for fear of getting cursed with bankruptcy).

After four long hours of grueling debate (and prodding Percy awake whenever he fell asleep), the Senate session finally ended. Frank and Hazel left to sort out the documents and minutes of the meeting, leaving Reyna to guide the three Greeks to the restaurant where they would be having dinner.

“You didn’t have to show us around personally, you know,” Jason told her, “we really appreciate it, but I know how busy you can be on a daily basis.”

Reyna grinned, shaking her head nonchalantly. “It’s good to take a break from time to time - not too long ago, someone very important to me said that I was a bit too committed to my job. He’s right, it would be nice to be just Reyna for once, and not Praetor Reyna, you know? Do you think I should take up crocheting?” she mused.

Nico couldn’t help grinning at the thought of Reyna sitting down with a ball of yarn and crocheting hook. “I think that sounds like a relaxing thing to do… Maybe you could ask Calypso to give you lessons - she does have millennia of experience after all.”

“Speaking of which, aren’t Leo and Calypso supposed to get here today as well?” Percy asked.

As if on cue, they heard a loud thump, followed by the shouting of Legionnaires from the plaza nearby. 

“Holy Hades!” Percy swore, running over to investigate what happened. 

“Mind your fucking language,” Nico muttered, trying to catch up with him.

They found a familiar bronze dragon sitting right in the middle of the plaza, surrounded by a crowd of awestruck campers.

“LEO!” Reyna shrieked. “Who told you that you were allowed to land here? Terminus is going to have a fit.” 

Leo hopped off Festus before helping Calypso off. “I bet you don’t even have a rule against landing bronze dragons in New Rome,” he commented, giving Festus a pat and commanding him to take off.

“I bet we will have one before the next time you visit, Valdez.” Reyna huffed “I’d watch out if I were you.”

Leo simply smirked cheekily before running to greet Jason.

They split up into pairs, with Leo and Jason chatting eagerly about comic book superheroes or something, while Percy and Calypso caught up. (Things between them had been awkward for some time, but Annabeth and Leo had finally gotten fed up and staged an intervention. The two seemed to get along just fine after that.)

“So, where is this place that we are going to? Also, will I finally get to meet this ‘important person’ I’ve been hearing about?” Nico asked Reyna.

“It’s an Italian restaurant that just opened last month. I went there once, and my first thought was that you would like it, so I suggested that we go there today. Oh, and Julien is already waiting for us there, along with Piper and Annabeth.”

The restaurant was a cozy and small place tucked away in the corner of a street. It was owned by twin sisters, daughters of Ceres, who were Italian. The group was led to a private room with space to accommodate all eleven of them. Nico took the opportunity to chat with the owners - who seemed pleasantly surprised that he could speak Italian and were only too glad to answer his questions.

“Guys, let me introduce you to my boyfriend, Julien,” Reyna announced proudly.

Nico had to admit, Reyna’s boyfriend certainly wasn’t what he had expected. He looked like he had just stepped out of a men’s fashion magazine - lanky, graceful and incredibly well dressed. He had almost every color of the rainbow on him in one form or another, but somehow, all the accessories and adornments fit together to accentuate his looks.

“Are you sure he’s straight?” Percy whispered. (Jason’s attempt to elbow him in the ribs was skillfully dodged).

Apparently, he hadn’t spoken softly enough. 

“Why, are you interested, darling?” Julien drawled. “Sorry, you’re hot, but I’m already taken.” He winked at Reyna, who looked flustered. Percy’s face turned an impressive beet shade, and he gaped, speechless, while Leo mouthed ‘pwned’ at him.

It was a good thing for him that Frank and Hazel arrived just then. Hazel gravitated towards Nico and started telling him about the horses she took care of, as well as her recent cooking exploits. He half listened, half schemed of ways to subtly interrogate Julien to find out if he was a good match for Reyna.

As it turned out, he needn’t have worried. While he was flamboyant and flirtatious, from what Nico could tell, Julien was also compassionate (he and Piper were eagerly discussing animal rights) and perceptive (he seemed to have a good understanding of their group dynamics despite just having met them). Being a legacy of Venus, he technically wasn’t a demigod in the strictest sense. For Reyna’s sake, Nico hoped that the converse of what Aphrodite had said would apply; that Reyna had finally found someone who could heal her heart. 

Nico found that he enjoyed dinner immensely (partially because the food was delectable). Normally, he claimed not to be much of a ‘people person’ but he liked the group that had formed and grown over the course of the past year. He felt comfortable hanging out with them - it felt like he actually belonged.


	16. Cacoethes (n.) An urge to do something inadvisable

Percy was in a terrible mood. His sleep had been fitful and sporadic, despite the luxurious accommodations the Senate had provided them. When he did wake up, it had only been six. Clearly, the other two were still fast asleep, so he had decided to go for a stroll around New Rome.

Had he been the only one to notice how Piper and Annabeth had been all over each other during dinner the previous night? Sure, they were seated across from each other, but the lingering gazes, the inside jokes, it had been more than enough. When Jason had asked Annabeth about how it had been living in New Rome the past couple of months, she had gone on and on about what she and Piper had done together. When was the last time he had seen her so excited about something that was not architecture? It really seemed that she had moved on already.

It had felt like she had been avoiding him the previous day. Maybe she was upset with him? She had tried calling him a couple of times in the past few months, but he had blocked her from Iris Messaging him - the pain of trying to talk to her would have been too much to bear right then.

He got a cup of coffee, sipping slowly as we wandered aimlessly around the Roman camp, eventually finding his way to the garden of Bacchus. The place was mostly deserted so early in the morning, but there was a couple seating on one of the park benches sharing a kiss… wait, were they Piper and Annabeth?

Percy felt nauseated. To see the girl he loved, so enraptured by someone else, it made his blood run cold. From what he had heard, they weren’t dating - which meant that this was a new development (they didn’t really have a reason to lie about whether they were in a relationship). It felt strange, intruding on such an intimate moment, and Percy found himself backing away… then, he was back on the main street again, and running back at full speed.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While the Greeks and Romans had taken great steps towards peace and camaraderie, with exchange programs and inter-camp games, their sense of competitiveness had remained strong as ever. They weren’t going to let an opportunity like this go to waste, of course; the plan was to have a sparring session in the Coliseum, to prove which camp had the better fighters. Percy had claimed that he wasn’t feeling well, and refused to go. A perfect plan to stay in and sulk all by himself, except Nico had to go and foil it by staying in to accompany him.

“You should join the others, Nico, you don’t get the chance to spar with everyone very often,” he grumbled.

“It’s okay, I wasn’t really in the mood to get my ass kicked by Reyna anyway. Plus, right now there will be three Romans and three Greeks and one Jason, seems fairer that the two of us aren’t there, right?” 

It looked like Nico wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. Might as well make the most of it. “Hey, you want to try the gaming console Leo made us?” 

“I don’t have a clue as to how to use it, but I can give it a shot, I guess?” Nico replied. “Hmm, I still don’t understand why Leo decided to give us our Christmas gift a few days in advance.”

“He’ll probably give us gag gifts on Christmas, so this is his actual gift to us. It’s pretty neat - we demigods rarely get our hands on any technology, what with the whole thing with monsters tracking the signal or whatever it was.” 

They started the game, which seemed to be a version of Mario Kart, except that Leo had replaced all the cars with chariots, and the players had godly powers. Considering how Nico had never touched a video game console in his life, it was quite a feat that once he figured out the controls, he managed to win Percy in every game.

“This is pointless,” Percy complained, after Nico had utterly destroyed him for the tenth time in a row. “How are you so good at this?”

Nico tossed his controller to the side as well. “Oh well, I was getting tired of it anyway. Seriously, Percy, you don’t seem sick at all. Why did you suddenly decide to stay in today?”

Percy shrugged, “No reason in particular, just felt like it.”

Nico sighed, “Okay then...” Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “It’s just the two of us here! Jason and Will aren’t here to be on my case!” He ran over to the drawer, pulling out a few bottles of wine.

“I brought this along with me just in case, you know, what with the festive season and all, no better time to get drunk.”

Nico’s timing was perfect. A chance to drink his sorrows away? Who was he to turn down such an opportunity?

Before they knew it, the bottles were empty, and they were well and truly inebriated. 

 

“Have I ever told you that you’re pretty? Nicoooooo… Why are you so pretty...” Percy slurred, cupping his hand over Nico’s face and pulling him closer.

Nico made a half-hearted attempt to push the son of Poseidon away. “Stop…” he mumbled, eyes lighting up in arousal and intrigue despite his verbal rejection.

Then, Percy closed his eyes and kissed him, and any last shred of resistance in Nico seemed to evaporate. He pressed up against Percy, slipping his hand under his shirt, stroking over his bare skin with the tips of his fingers. 

Some rational part of him in the back of his mind was screaming that this was a bad idea, but right then Nico moaned and attempted to pull his shirt off, and lust soon overtook him. He simply couldn’t bring himself to care about what he should and shouldn’t do anymore, not when Nico was lying beneath him, ready and willing, for him to ravish.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Percy? Nico? Are you all in there?” Leo rapped at the door, getting no response. He tried opening it, and to his surprise, it wasn’t locked. 

“Hello?” He called, stepping in. The house seemed empty, but the bedroom door was closed. 

He was about to throw the door open when he heard what was unmistakably a moan. Sounded like Percy. Just what was he doing? Right after that was a higher pitched keen. So Percy had brought a girl over? Did he convince Nico to leave so he could get laid? Whatever it was, Leo didn’t want to stick around to hear any more. He could just tell the others that Percy was still feeling unwell, so he couldn’t join them for lunch, and that Nico was nowhere to be found. Leo had no interest whatsoever in staying around to find out just what Percy was doing.


	17. Surprise (n.) an unexpected or astonishing item or fact

The dining room in the Praetor’s Villa was massive, yet with eleven demigods seated around the table, it seemed fairly crowded and lively. Hazel, Julien, Piper and Leo had worked all day long to prepare a banquet for Christmas Eve. Jason wasn’t going to tell them that they had overdone it, but it was clear that there would be a lot of leftovers. 

The previous year, both camps had still been recovering from the war, so everyone hadn’t quite been in a mood for festivities; the group didn’t meet up during Christmas. It was a different story the following year. The chatter of conversation mingled with the clatter of plates and cutlery, making for quite a cozy atmosphere. Perhaps, after all the trials and tribulations they had gone through together, all of them were eager to settle down and enjoy the rare time of peace. Was this how family dinners were supposed to feel like?

“Anyway, I still think it's kinda ironic that we're a bunch of Greek and Roman demigods celebrating Christian holiday… ” Annabeth said, slicing into a succulent ham with zeal and distributing pieces of the meat to those around her.

“I think now it’s more of a cultural phenomenon rather than a religious occasion? Lots of non-Christian families celebrate the holiday as well.” Piper suggested. She was seated next to Julien, with both of them sharing a platter of vegetarian food.

“Plus,” Percy added, “Why turn down an opportunity to get together, overeat, and have fun?”

Jason had to agree. Who really cared about the reason behind everything as long as everyone was enjoying themselves?” 

When everyone had finished their dinner, Frank and Hazel insisted on cleaning up the dishes. Reyna cleared her throat, addressing the group. “Everyone, I have an announcement to make. It’s been a long time that I’ve been Praetor. Too long, perhaps. When my term ends next June, I plan to step down,” she paused, letting the weight of her words sink in. “I’ve spoken with Hazel, and she is keen to run for the post. I’m sure that I don’t need to tell you this, but we would really appreciate if all of you will support her campaign.”

Nico hugged his sister, who blushed and looked nearly in tears as everyone offered words of advice and encouragement, and told her that they were proud of her. 

After dinner, everyone gathered around the mini Christmas tree to exchange gifts. To facilitate the process, Reyna instructed everyone to give out the all the gifts they prepared, after which they would open them at the same time.

Jason examined the colorful assortment of gifts in front of him, a stark contrast to the pristine white marble of the floor. Probably best to start with the easiest. Julien, being new to the group, had gotten everyone gift vouchers from one of the bakeries in New Rome (Jason loved that, he could get brownies). Calypso, similarly, had (magically or otherwise) gotten everyone’s measurements and knitted beautiful sweaters. Jason’s was purple, and had lightning bolt in the middle, which he put on immediately to show his appreciation. 

Annabeth, Reyna and Frank had gotten him a t-shirt, pair of jeans, and a beanie respectively, which were nice and practical gifts since he rarely bought clothes for himself (he wondered if they had somehow planned to get him a complete set). Percy had gotten him clothing too - boxers with a Captain America design on them. (Jason resolved to chuck them at the bottom of his drawer where they would never see the light of day). 

Leo, in true Leo fashion, had gotten him a stapler, complete with a pack of stapler bullets. Jason had anticipated it, and gotten the latino a fire blanket in retaliation.

Last but certainly not least, was Nico’s gift. It was small and rectangular, and strangely heavy. A… brick? At first, Jason couldn’t help but feel disappointed that it was a gag gift. Then, he caught sight of something tucked into one of the holes in the brick. It was a small, cylindrical container. He pried it open, revealing a beautiful ring; a golden band, intricately carved with a geometric pattern, with the words ‘Fortitudo. Probitas.   
Fides.’ - Courage. Integrity. Loyalty. inscribed on the inside. It fit perfectly on his middle finger, like it was made to sit right there. He glanced at Nico, who was looking at the pendant of a silver angel that Jason had gotten him. Their eyes met, and Nico flushed, quickly looking away. “Thank you,” Jason told him. “It’s perfect.”

Nico still didn’t say a word, (he had been strangely quiet the whole day), but the blush on his face seemed to darken. 

When everyone was done unwrapping their gifts, it was about nine - way too early to end the day.

“Guys, why don’t we play Truth or Dare?” Leo suggested, with a devious glint in his eyes.

 

“Sound’s like a great idea!” Piper agreed.

Jason had his reservations - who knew what bizarre ideas Leo had in his head, but he nevertheless agreed to give it a try.

Once they had all sat in a circle, Annabeth brought out a bottle from the kitchen. “We can spin this, and whoever does the truth or dare will get to ask the next person their question. Can I start first?”

Since no one objected, she spun the bottle, which landed on Reyna.

“Truth or dare?”

Reyna clearly looked uncomfortable, but tooked a deep breath before choosing ‘truth’.

“I’ll go easy on you,” Annabeth smiled. “How did you and Julien meet?”

“It isn’t a very interesting story. One day, Aurum went wandering off somewhere in Camp. When I finally found him, he was playing with Julien in the Garden of Bacchus. That is when Julien and I started talking. To this day, I’m still not sure what made Aurum act so strangely.”

“I might or might not have reprogrammed him sometime ago,” Leo admitted sheepishly. “Your dogs are far too hostile.”

Reyna glowered murderously, but Julien quickly calmed her by wrapping an arm around her, and pointing out that they wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for Leo’s tinkering. 

Jason was amazed to see the ease with which he was able to defuse Reyna, who could be quite stubborn. He was glad that she had found someone who could make her happy, especially since he couldn’t be the one for her.

The game continued, with everyone having fun and letting loose; even Calypso and Reyna, who had never played before. Poor Frank was made to transform into all sorts of different animals, but apart from that most of the dares were quite mild, since no one really wanted to leave the comfort of a cozy fireplace.

After Leo had done an absolutely ridiculous dance (which he had probably enjoyed doing), he spun the bottle, getting Percy.

“I’ll take truth, for a change,” Percy decided.

“Okay then, Percy, who were you having sex with yesterday? Sounded awfully like...”

Percy let out a terrified squawk, and Jason heard a gasp to his right.

“that’s what you were doing, at least?”

Before Calypso could reproach him for the inappropriate question, everyone had already realized that Leo was probably right. Percy’s reaction was obvious - he flushed, spluttered incomprehensibly, and turned to Nico.

Who had mysteriously vanished.

The nonplussed silence lasted for a good minute.

Reyna was the first to move, punching Percy in the shoulder - hard. “I don’t know what happened exactly, and honestly, I don’t want to know. But if you did something you shouldn’t have, you better fix it, or I’ll rip your balls off and feed them to my dogs,” she threatened, stalking out of the room.

Hazel finally snapped out of her dazed state. “What did...” she began, but was cut off by a loud crack of thunder. 

“Jason!” Piper yelled, and Jason flinched, turning away from the window to look at her.

Was the sudden thunderstorm his doing? Sure, he was upset and angry, but he hadn’t done it on purpose. “I’m going to go back now,” he mumbled, fleeing the room before his emotions got out of hand.


	18. Arrival (n.) the process/action of a person or object reaching their destination

“So, that’s what happened. Do you still want to murder me?” Percy asked, after he finished explaining the unfortunate series of events to Will.

Will shrugged. “I’m still sleep deprived and Nico is still gone, so yeah, kinda. I’m a little less pissed though, now that I know you didn’t really take his virginity.”

“He’s still a...” Percy looked surprised. “You two never...”

“Nope, we broke up before we ever got that far.” Will replied sadly. 

“Oh… Well, we were both drunk out of our mind; neither of us even managed to take our pants off.” 

“That means that neither of you were really able to give consent in the first place...” Will mused. “You should tell the others what you just said, Percy. I think they’re all convinced that you took advantage of him, knowing how he used to have a crush on you and all that. If that wasn’t the case, then they might be less tempted to kill you. I must admit though, I never expected that you’d pull something like that. You know what they say about acting the way you really feel when you’re drunk, so...”

“I don’t know, okay, I’m just so confused right now.”

“Take your time,” Will soothed. “Figure it out slowly. I don’t think I really need to tell you this, but it’s there’s nothing wrong with being bisexual. And there also is nothing wrong with being straight, but feeling attracted to guy in certain circumstances.” 

“Since when did you get so good at dispensing advice, Will?” Percy laughed. “You’re right, I do have to leave my room and talk to the others. You can get some rest here first, okay?”

Will nodded, giving him a hug and shooing him out of the room. “It’ll be alright, Percy. If it isn’t, you’d be dead anyway so it wouldn’t really matter.” 

Despite how tired he was, sleep didn’t come to him easily. Will had been celebrating Christmas with his mom when Percy had called him all of a sudden, looking on the verge of tears and babbling about how Nico was gone. As soon as he possibly could, Will had flown to Camp Jupiter. It hadn’t been easy finding his way there, but to his surprise, Reyna had been nice enough to wait for him at the entrance and bring him to where Percy and Jason were staying. Apparently, Percy had locked himself in his room for the two days it had taken for Will to get there, refusing to open the door.

Will had just about fallen asleep when Percy barged into the room. Will groaned, giving up on his attempt to rest. “How did it go?”

“Jason still looks like he wants to murder me, so I didn’t talk to him. I tried talking to Hazel, but she just put her hands over her ears and started shaking her head. Apparently, you need an appointment to see Reyna when she’s working, so I ended up talking to Frank instead. Have I mentioned that the dude’s awesome? He brought me food for the last two days.”

Will grimaced. “I’m not even sure if I should be disgusted or amazed that you haven’t left this room in days.”

“There’s a bathroom here, so it's not like I haven’t bathed,” Percy protested. “In fact, I spent most of my time in the bathtub.”

“Fine, whatever you say. Let’s get you out of this room - I’ve never been in here, actually. Wanna show me around?” 

From Percy’s grin, and the way he grabbed Will’s hand and pulled him out of the room, Will already knew that they were going to have a lot of fun getting lost in New Rome.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nico had to admit, he wasn’t surprised that he ended up in the wrong place - it had been more than a year since he had last shadow-traveled directly into the underworld, after all. Ending up in the throne room though? That was just the Moirai giving him a middle finger.  
If Hades and Persephone were surprised by his sudden and unannounced appearance, they didn’t show it; Hades barely raised an eyebrow. “Oh, Nico, you decided to drop in,” he remarked, cutting off the undead soldier who was in the middle of reading out a report. “Your room is the way you left it, I’ll get Alecto to prepare it for you. So, what brings you here? I doubt it’s because you missed us.”

Trying to hide the fact that he was still close to tears, Nico quickly bowed to the two immortals, “I apologize for entering your domain without obtaining permission first, father. I had some… personal issues that I wanted to get away from for a while,” he answered. 

“Personal issues, huh?” Hades smirked. “I must say, I’ve never been more tempted to smite that Jackson kid.” He waved his hand, and for a moment Nico genuinely feared for Percy’s life. Just how much did Hades know? Nico was going to die from mortification.

Thankfully, Persephone shot her husband a glare. “You will do no such thing,” she insisted. “If you start a war with Poseidon, I’ll still be cleaning up the mess a century from now.” She turned to Nico, “Now, dear, you can stay as long as you want, and feel free to come look for me in my garden.”

“I’ll remember that. Thank you very much.” From Persephone’s expression, he had been dismissed. Hades was still sulking after being told off by his wife, and Nico didn’t want to stick around to see him change his mind.

Hades hadn’t been kidding when he said Nico’s room was exactly the same. Apart from a thick layer of dust, which Alecto was in the midst of sweeping away, the room was still a perfect testament to how just how bad the taste of his younger self was. Having nothing better to do, Nico decided to busy himself with ripping all the posters off the walls; he didn’t need to be reminded of his emo wannabe, pining for Percy days. 

He wondered what thirteen-year-old Nico would think of the fact that he would get to make out with Percy Jackson a mere three years later. Maybe younger Nico would be thrilled. Or maybe younger Nico would agree that he deserved an award for his stupidity.

Why did this happen to him then, of all times? Right when things were going fairly decently, for once? He probably would never be able to face the others again - Reyna and Hazel had to be disappointed in him. Jason and Will would definitely be upset. Not to mention that things between him and Percy would be even more awkward from then on.

Being the brave soul that he was, Nico decided to hop onto the bed and hide under his blanket for the rest of eternity.


	19. Journey (v.) to travel somewhere/ progress from one stage to another

It had been two weeks since Nico had vanished without a trace, and Jason was worried out of his mind. All attempts to contact him had been unsuccessful, which probably meant that he was in the underworld. Most of the gang had decided to simply wait, figuring that he would emerge sooner or later. Jason, however, was tired of waiting.

Hazel had approached him a couple of days ago with an unexpected request. “I just can’t see why he wouldn’t leave a message at least, telling me that he’s fine,” she had said. “He promised that he would. I really hope not, but it's quite possible that he ran into trouble. I know that this is a lot to ask of you, but would you consider going to find him in the underworld? I would do it myself if I could, but I’m scared Pluto won’t be able to let me return.”

She didn’t have to ask, really; Jason had already made up his mind to go. The only problem was getting there.

“You’re going to find Nico?” Percy asked, coming into the room and watching Jason pack his bag.”

Jason nodded, resisting the urge to growl at him. He was jealous; there was no denying it. He hated feeling that way - Percy was his good friend, but when Jason thought of what he had done with Nico (despite Percy’s assurances that it wasn’t as bad as they had initially assumed), and how Nico had probably enjoyed it… he forced the mental image out of his mind.

“I know of an entrance to the underworld that should be quite easy to get through. The nearest one is actually in Los Angeles, but I doubt we’ll be able to get past Charon. It’s probably a better idea to go to the one in New York.” 

“Fine,” Jason relented, “it’s not like I have any clue how to get in, so I’ve no choice but to accept your help.”

“Sweet! Let me tell Will that we’ll be heading out.”

“No need to,” came Will’s voice from the doorway. “Be careful okay, you guys? I’d come with you, but I’m afraid I won’t be of much use, especially if there’s monster fighting involved. It’s probably better for me to stay here and come up with an excuse for where you two have gone.” 

Percy gave him a hug, then rushed to his room to pack.

Will looked at Jason, unspoken words conveyed through his eyes.

“I know.” Jason assured. “I'll make sure to bring him back.”

The journey back to New York had been exhausting. Jason had summoned Tempest and Percy had Blackjack, but the journey had still taken hours. For the first time ever, Jason realized just how underappreciated Jules-Albert was’.

“Here it is,” Percy announced as they reached Central Park. “The door of Orpheus. We came here back when Nico was trying to make sure my stupidity wouldn’t get me killed.”  
He took out the speaker he had requested from Leo, cranking the volume all the way up and playing some reed pipe music. It took some time, but finally, the entrance opened wide enough for them to squeeze through.

“Thanks for your help,” Jason said. “I should get going now.”

“Wait,” Percy frowned, “I’m not going with you?”

“You’re the main reason why Nico’s hiding in the underworld in the first place. I doubt he would be very keen to see you right now,” Jason replied, with a note of finality in his voice.

“Fine,” Percy pouted, “All the best, then. I’ll just go back to New Rome, it’s not like I wasted seven hours flying across the whole country or something.”

Jason inclined his head, ignoring Percy’s whining and stepping forward into the abyss.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you think that Nico and Jason are okay?” Percy asked. It had only been one day since Percy had returned to Camp Jupiter, but apparently, he couldn’t stop worrying.

“Come on, Perce, after all that Jason’s been through, going to the underworld should be like a walk in the park for him. He’s just gonna drop in and be like ‘Hi Uncle Hades, I’ll just grab your son and be out of here, don’t mind me!’ I bet they’ll be back soon,” Will assured.

“If you say so,” Percy sighed, “I wish I could have gone with him. Jason had a point though, it probably would be easier for him to convince Nico to come back. What should I say to him when I see him? Sorry for making out with you? I shouldn’t have let everyone believe that we were fucking? Sorry for making you come in your pants?”

Will turned scarlet, shoving his hand against Percy’s mouth to shut him up. “Please, whatever you do, don’t say that last one,” he choked out, “A simple ‘I’m sorry’ should suffice. It’s not like Nico isn’t at fault too. When he gets back, I’m going to make him swear on the Styx not to drink until he’s twenty-one. Or at least check his blood alcohol level every day.”

Percy pried Will’s hands away from his mouth. “How would you even do that? Last time I checked, the camp infirmary didn’t have much medical equipment.”

Will contemplated for a moment, then grabbed his hands. “I can tell your blood pressure, blood sugar level, and lots of other values just by doing this. You really should eat more fruits and vegetables you know, you need more Vitamin C and A. Oh, and your heart rate is a bit faster than normal. Are you okay?”

Percy yanked his hands away, suddenly finding interest in the patterns on the bedsheet. “I.. I’m fine. Just a bit surprised that you can do that. It’s pretty cool, actually.”

“Well, it’s one of the few things that I actually can do… After Dad disappeared, my healing powers are a bit weaker than usual, so apparently the only thing I’m good for now is being a walking lie detector. I usually don’t tell people about this power - it tends to creep them out to know that I can guess their emotions by touching them. I think so far only my siblings, Nico, Cecil and Lou Ellen know that I can do this.” 

“It’s not creepy… I can certainly see how having such an ability would be useful when you’re healing someone. Plus, people can’t get away with lying to you. Seems pretty awesome.”

They just laid there on the bed for a moment, each contemplating a different issue.

“Will, do you think I’m bisexual?”

“What? How would I know?” Will snorted. He had his suspicions, but it was still surprising for Percy to ask such a question outright.

“I don’t know, for the longest time I just assumed that I was straight, and I had Annabeth, so it wasn’t really a question. Ever since I first met him, I’ve always thought that Jason is really attractive… but I figured that I just thought so from a general point of view… Plus, he’s my bro so that would be kinda awkward. Then, when I was drunk it suddenly struck me that Nico’s kinda hot if I stop thinking of him at the younger brother I should be looking after, and even now that I’m sober I still think so. But I know I’m still in love with Annabeth, so does that make me bi? And..”

“Woah, slow down, one thing at a time!” Will cut in, trying to process all that Percy had just said. “You know, I could help you figure things out if you want,” he offered, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Really?” Percy teased. “Since when was Will Solace so willing to ‘experiment’ with his friends?”

Will flinched, “It’s not like that!” he snapped. “I’m only offering because it’s you, okay? Think of it as a science experiment; we’re testing the hypothesis that you are attracted to guys in general. If you can enjoy making out with someone as plain as me, then you’re definitely bi.”

Percy frowned. “That’s not what I was trying to say, and you know it. Either way, I’m in! Can’t pass up on such an opportunity, can’t I?”

It took several deep breaths for Will to calm himself. This was a once in a lifetime chance to kiss the guy he might or might not have the slightest crush on, and he wasn’t going to let his insecurities ruin it. Finally, deciding to just do it before he could panic, he leaned in, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips against Percy’s.

Kissing had always been an overwhelming experience for Will - the fact that he could feel the other’s sensations only served to heighten his own. Percy’s emotions were a flood of lust and excitement. He bit Will’s lip gently, skillfully slipping his tongue in and deepening the kiss. In a few seconds, Will gave up with trying to analyze and catalog everything, letting the currents of emotion sweep over him, losing himself in bliss.

Finally, they parted, both gasping for breath. Percy had a cocky grin on his face.

“So, can we now conclude that you’re bisexual?” Will asked.

“Yup, that was awesome. In fact, I liked it so much that I’m overcome with an urge to sing a certain Katy Perry song...”

“Don’t you dare.”

Percy opened his mouth to start singing ‘I kissed a boy’, and Will tackled him onto the bed. They stared at each other, laughing hysterically.

“What just happened?” Will chortled.

“I just realized that I’m bi? And that you’re awesome at kissing?”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

Percy shrugged. “I have no clue.”


	20. Misery (n.) a state or feeling of great physical or mental distress

It was quite a miracle that Jason had managed to find Nico at all. He hadn’t been particularly keen on going to Hades’ palace, knowing that he would probably be captured. Instead, he had come up with the brilliant idea to fly around aimlessly, trying to spot Nico. Two hours later, Jason was on the verge of giving up; the underworld was massive - it would take days to visually scan all of it. 

Somehow, the Fates decided to show him mercy, and he spotted a tiny figure, camouflaged against the dark surface of the underworld.

Nico must have heard him landing, for he turned around, took a look at Jason, and took off in the opposite direction.

“Nico!” Jason yelled, chasing after the son of Hades. “Wait!”

As they ran on, Jason managed to narrow the gap; he was close enough to hear Nico’s panicked gasps and choked sobs. Then, Nico abruptly veered left, tripping over a rock and falling… 

Straight into the River Cocytus.

Jason didn’t even hesitate; he jumped straight in after Nico. A moment before he landed, he realized that he had jumped into the river of lamentation. ‘Oh no’, he thought belatedly, as the frigid, black water engulfed him.

Jason was back on the battlefield. All around him, giants and monsters were murdering the demigod army. There were members of the fifth cohort - people Jason had grown up with - falling in battle. A scream to his left caught his attention, and he turned to see Clarisse getting impaled by her own spear.

“What should we do?” Piper asked frantically.

Jason whirled around to see the Seven, Reyna, Nico, all waiting for his command.

“We have to get to Gaea,” he yelled, struggling to be heard over the ruckus of the battle. “If we don’t defeat her, the giant’s can’t be killed.”

They fought their way to where Gaea had manifested as a giant earth figure wearing a dress of grass. She turned to face them, and staring into her green eyes, Jason realized that he had absolutely no idea what to do. Before he could react, the earth around his feet rose up to restrain him. Try as he might, he could not take a single step.

“Watch closely, Jason Grace,” Gaea’s voice boomed from all around him. “Watch, as I kill your friends one by one. Watch, as I make them beg for mercy. Watch, like the useless leader that you are.”

She kept to her word. One by one, the group succumbed to Gaea’s attacks. It was a torture that seemed like it would never end.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hah. So this was abject misery. Nico thought it felt rather familiar. He remembered back when he was in Tartarus, when Akhlys told him that he was ‘perfect’. Sure, taking a bath in the river Cocytus was by no means enjoyable, but it was bearable. The hard part, it seemed, was trying to pull Jason onto the river bank with him. Nico had never been a particularly good swimmer, much less when he was carrying a deadweight.

With a tremendous effort and some help from the river’s current, they finally managed to tumble onto dry land. Shivering and spluttering, Nico crawled over to Jason, who seemed to be breathing, but unconscious.

“Jason!” Nico screamed, shaking him in an attempt to get him to wake up.  
Jason stirred, but seemed to still be dreaming, or hallucinating. “No… Nico… You can’t...” he whimpered, sounding broken. “I didn’t even get the chance to tell you I love you.”

Nico gasped in shock. What had Jason just said? Was he going insane? 

It took a couple more moments of Nico panicking internally before Jason finally managed to open his eyes. “Neeks! You’re alive!” he exclaimed, immediately sitting up and pulling him into a hug.

“Of course I’m alive. You didn’t have to jump in to save me, you dummy.” Nico replied fondly, too relieved that Jason was awake to question him about what he had said. Looking down at their drenched state, Nico grimaced. “Hold on, let me get us out of here.”

They appeared in back in Nico’s room. Before he could protest, Nico shoved Jason into the bathroom. He wasn’t taking any chances with cursed river water, plus they both stank of sulfur.

When they had both showered and changed (Jason was wearing a towel; he had lost his bag in the river), Nico turned on Jason. “Why are you even here? Do you know how dangerous it is?” he demanded. “My dad could very well stop you from ever leaving, if he wanted to.”

Jason scoffed. “I’m here because you are! What were you thinking, vanishing like that? Not even a note, or a message telling us that you were okay! Do you know how worried we all were?”

Nico looked bewildered. “But I did send Hazel a letter!” He protested.

“It’s been more than two weeks, Nico. Hazel told me that she would come down to find you personally if she could.”

“Alecto!” Nico yelled. He stormed to the door and cranked it open slightly.

“Yes, Master Nico?” The fury screeched when she arrived a minute later.

“What did you do with the letter I asked you to deliver to my sister?”

“Lord Hades expressly forbade me from contacting Hazel Levesque.”

Nico groaned. “And you never thought of informing me?”

Alecto rolled her eyes. “Lord Hades may have made me your babysitter, but I’m not your personal courier. Now, I’m going to get you some new clothes, which you seem to be in need of,” she gestured to Nico’s shirt, which looked more like a crop top. “I’ll get something for Mister Grace to wear as well.” Before Nico could reply, she had already taken off.

Jason, who had been hiding in the bathroom, groaned. “How does she know I’m here?”

Nico swore. “My dad must have told her, which means that he felt your presence and knows that you came here. Which means that he’s probably going to kill both of us.”

“We can worry about that later, I’m not done yet,” Jason chided. “It was a really irresponsible thing to do, coming down here. You promised me that you wouldn’t…” 

Nico zoned out somewhere in the middle of the lecture. It wasn’t really his fault; Jason was nearly naked, which was certainly distracting.

“...Please, Nico, it’s not as bad as you think. You have to come back. I… We love you, and we really miss you.”

Wait, that again? 

“You… love me?” Nico repeated incredulously.

“Well, what I meant was that...”

“No.” Nico insisted, his voice firm. “You said it twice already, so there’s no backing out now.”

Jason sighed. “I guess there’s no point in lying. I’m in love with you. Don’t ask me why; it’s something that kinda caught me by surprise as well. When Piper and I broke up, she pointed out that I was rather obsessed with you, and I realized that she had a point. Please don’t feel pressured to do anything about it or anything, okay? The main reason I’ve kept it a secret from you was that I know you don’t feel the same way about me and I wanted us to remain friends.”

“You’re not straight?”

“I’m demisexual, I think. I didn’t even know until Piper pointed out how I never make comments about strangers being physically attractive, and I realized it was because I didn’t feel that they were.”

“But why me?”

“Why? Do you really not see how amazing… how lovable, you are?”

“Even when I’m irresponsible, and immature and run away from my problems? Even when I throw myself at Percy the moment he shows the slightest bit of interest in me?” Nico snapped.

“I didn’t mean most of what I said, okay? I was just really worried.”Jason sighed. “Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Plus, I heard a very different story from Percy. You were both drunk, which I’d admit is your fault, but what you did when you were intoxicated wasn’t really in your control.”

Nico shook his head. “It’s not that. The thing is, I can’t get over him. I just can't. Is it a bad thing to have feelings for more than one person at the same time?” he asked, hating how vulnerable and uncertain he sounded.

“The people you love, or the mistakes you’ve made, they don’t make you a bad person, Nico. You are wonderful in so many ways that you just can’t see. You managed to forgive a bunch of people who have never been anything but cruel to you, and nearly sacrifice your life to save them. You took the time and effort to be a friend to those who were forgotten by the world. You suffered so much, yet you never lost faith. You’re a good brother to Hazel and Reyna. And you’re a good friend to me; you’ve helped me in so many ways that you probably don’t even know about.”

He paused for a moment, watching as Nico took in what he had said, blushed, and started fiddling with his skull ring. 

“Can I have some time to think about this? It’s all very new to me, and kinda overwhelming. I’ll go back with you, though. You’re right, I should have thought about how all of you would feel, and not just myself.” Nico whispered, nearly inaudibly.

“Like I said, I’d be happy if we could just go back to how things used to be. I’ve known that I’m in love with you for a little over two months now, and nothing really changed. You knowing about it doesn’t have to change anything. Now, let’s get some clothes and call it a night, okay? We can figure things out tomorrow.” Jason said.

Nico doubted that he could forget - not that he wanted to. He wasn’t entirely sure what he would do yet, but he did know that he had to seriously re-evaluate his perception about a lot of things. The day had been an exhausting one, though, for before Nico could do much thinking, he was already asleep.


	21. Present (n./v.) a gift / to introduce (someone) to someone else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any Italian in this story is Google Translated, I don't know the language. So, if any of you speak Italian, please do leave suggestions/corrections in the comments :D Thanks!

Nico was so not looking forward to leaving his room. Since Hades no doubt already knew that Jason was in the underworld, Nico figured that he had no choice to inform his father that he would be leaving, with Jason in tow. 

Persephone had looked thrilled to see someone new, dragging Jason to her garden for a ‘chat’ while Nico remained in the throne room with the Lord of the Underworld himself.

“So, you’re dating that son of Zeus now? Can’t say I’m too glad, but at the very least I’ll get to rub it in my brother’s face. Plus, he can’t be worse than that Jackson kid.” Hades remarked.

“N…no, I’m not dating Jason,” Nico stammered, “and there’s nothing wrong with Percy. I just came here to inform you that I’ll be leaving soon.”

“You expect me to simply let this ‘friend’ of yours go too, after he so unceremoniously barged into my realm?”

“Dad! He only came here because he was worried about me, and wanted to bring me back to the surface,” Nico argued.

“Well, I suppose you do seem less angsty now that he’s here,” Hades commented offhandedly, ignoring Nico’s squeak of disagreement. “Jules-Albert will fetch the two of you back tomorrow. Today though, seeing as your birthday will be coming up soon, I thought I’d give you an early birthday present.”

They went to the garden to collect Jason, who was wearing a flower crown and looking very much relieved to be freed from Persephone's clutches.

Hades teleported them directly into Elysium, right outside what seemed to be a small gated community. 

“I’m not allowed to go in, but there’s no rule against mortals entering; it’s not like you are even supposed to be in here in the first place. Go to unit one three seven.” Hades instructed. His expression softened, and he turned to Nico. “Tell her that I love her, okay?”

Before Nico could ask him what he meant, the god had already sunk into the shadows.

“What’s going on?” Jason questioned, looking puzzled. 

Nico shrugged, indicating that he had no clue as well. Resigning to their fate, the duo stepped towards the massive gates, which swung open to let them in.

The place looked surprisingly like an average suburban American neighborhood, with rows of houses, shops, and other amenities as well. The only strange things were that everything was in a pristine state - it was as if the whole place had been built the day before - and that there were no children in sight. Thank the gods that all the houses had a clear unit number, which indicated that they only had to walk for another hundred units or so. Nico found the stares from the residents slightly unnerving, so the sooner they got to their destination, the better.

“So, what did my stepmother say to you?” Nico asked, out of curiosity.

“Nothing much, really, she introduced me to the various flowers and plants in her garden and showed me her collection of poisonous plants. I think she was implying that she would poison me if I ever hurt you? Good to know.”

Nico was actually surprised; while Persephone had warmed up to him in the past couple of years, he hadn’t expected her to be so protective of him. “Well, I doubt she’ll ever need to worry about that,” he replied, not missing the grin that lit up Jason’s face.

They walked on in companionable silence, taking in their surroundings. The whole community seemed idyllic; the type of place one would retire to. They spotted every kind of house from nineteenth-century Victorian buildings to honest-to-goodness igloos, which sat side by side like a town-sized patchwork. Nico couldn’t figure out if Annabeth would love the place for its variety of architecture, or hate how everything seemed to be randomly arranged. As they passed, the souls paused their daily activities to gawk at them, but none made any attempt to communicate. 

The moment they reached the house, Nico immediately knew what his father had intended in sending him there. Unit one-three-seven was a perfect replica of his childhood home, down to the painted fingerprints Bianca and he had made on the letterbox. He approached the door in a trance-like state, tracing his fingers over the smooth wood reverently. Jason paused to check if he was okay, gave him a reassuring smile, and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and for the first time in what seemed like countless years, Nico was face to face with his mother again.

“ _Mio figlio!_ ” Maria di Angelo exclaimed, running out and trying to hug him. When her hands phased through him, she let out a sigh of relief. “You’re still alive, then. I was worried for a moment there. Come in! Tell mamma what brings you here. Oh, and introduce me to this handsome friend of yours.”

Jason, seeing that Nico was still frozen in shock, gently nudged him, taking his hand and tugging him into the house. “Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter,” he said to Maria, “Nice to meet you, Ms di Angelo.”

“And polite too,” Maria murmured, grinning. “Please make yourself comfortable. I’m afraid I won’t be able to offer you some tea, but I don’t think you’ll be able to stay for long anyway.”

The interior of the house was mostly as Nico remembered it, with some new additions such as modern appliances and the like. It was a small, cozy place, one that he imagined his mother would be content to live in for the rest of eternity. Maria explained that they were in a community specifically built for the consorts of the gods, with powerful barriers from preventing any god (mostly Hades) from entering. It was a good thing that language barriers weren't an issue in the afterlife; Maria spoke in a mix of Italian and English, but Jason seemed to understand what she was saying just fine.

“Tell me about your life, _caro mio_. I want to know as much as I can.” Maria asked.

It was a long story to tell. Maria was saddened to hear that Bianca had died, but at least she was comforted with the knowledge that her daughter had chosen to be reincarnated. Nico did his best to censor and downplay the horrific events that marked his life, with Jason only interjecting to explain the true extent of Nico’s apparent heroism, or occasionally to provide his perspective of events.

“I’m just glad that things are more peaceful now,” Maria said, after Nico had finished summarizing his experiences. “You had to go through so many hardships; all of you did. I’m proud of what you have accomplished, _caro mio_. Hopefully, you will be able to live in peace for as long as possible. Hmm, I’m curious how you managed to get in here, actually. There hasn’t ever been a living soul in this place.”

“The whole reason I was in the underworld is a long story; in short, some of my friends found out something I didn’t want them to, so I fled to escape embarrassment,” Nico admitted reluctantly. “Jason came to check if I was okay and bring me back. As for coming to Elysium, Dad brought me here. He said that it was an early birthday present. Oh, and he asked me to tell you that he loves you.”

Maria sighed fondly. “That man… I told him to forget about me, and be faithful to Persephone, but does he listen? No. I hope you aren’t as stubborn as him.”

Jason snorted, and Nico glared at him.

“Well, tell him that I’ll always love him, and that I’m doing well here.” Maria continued. “Either way, he and I have no future together. It took me some time, but I’ve come to accept that. What about you, Nico? You’re still young, but is there a special girl in your life?”

“I… I… ” Nico stammered. Jason saw his hesitation and gave him a nod of encouragement, which helped to steel his nerves. “I’m gay.”

Those were two words that he had spent years unsuccessfully trying to say, too fearful of what others would think of him. He couldn’t help but worry about how his mother would react, but he also wanted to present his most authentic self to her.

Maria didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, that makes sense,” she beamed, “Jason is a lovely boy. The two of you have my blessing.”

Jason opened his mouth to argue, but Nico found his hand, holding it where Maria could see.

He seemed startled, but quickly regained his composure “Thank you, Ms di Angelo. I will do everything in my power to ensure Nico’s happiness.” Jason declared, looking at Nico fondly. 

“You’re really okay with us being together?” Nico asked, still not quite believing her nonchalance.

“I must admit, once upon a time, I would have been more judgemental.” Maria grimaced, “It pains me to say it, but the old me would not have accepted it as easily. But after staying here for seventy years, after seeing all sorts of people, I’ve come to understand how little our prejudices matter, when compared to something as great as love. The others have told me about how the world has become a more accepting place; as long as you are safe and happy, I can only be happy for you. So thank you for sharing this part of yourself with me.” 

She glanced out of the window. The sun had already begun to set, casting a warm glow over the neighborhood. “You must get going soon. I’d love to keep you here with me forever, but here, we are all in stasis. Apart from new people moving in, I don’t think anything has changed in decades. You are still young; you still have a life to live. I can’t be with you, caro mio, but know that my thoughts and prayers will be with you always.”

Nico wished he could hug her. “Thank you, mamma,” he whispered, trying to hold back the tears that were trying to make an appearance. “ _Ti voglio bene_.”

“ _Ti voglio tanto bene_.” Maria smiled. “Have a safe trip back.”

It wasn’t easy saying goodbye, when Nico knew that they most likely would never meet again. Still, for his mother’s sake, he tried his best to do so with a smile. Jason was his anchor, a comforting, supportive presence by his side.

Hades met them outside the gate, listening solemnly as Nico recounted what they had seen, before returning them to Nico’s room.

“You wanted your mother to believe that we’re a couple, right?” Jason asked. “I know that you don’t think you’ll ever get to see her again, but it doesn’t seem like something you’d normally do. I didn’t misinterpret anything, did I?”

Nico couldn’t help giggle at Jason worried expression (and from his nervousness). The acceptance of his mother had given him the courage to say what he had wanted to since the previous day. “I wasn’t really lying, Jason,” he explained. “Umm.. I mean, if you’re okay with it, we could maybe, I don’t know?” He took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is, I want to be your boyfriend.”


	22. Inchoate (adj.) just begun and so not fully formed or developed

Jason was glad that Jules-Albert was driving them back to Camp Jupiter. After all that had happened, Nico hadn’t trusted himself to shadow travel. The long ride gave them some time to chat, and discuss more about what Nico had said the previous day. Plus, they had stopped at McDonald's on the way back, which seemed to make Nico very happy. 

“How did everyone react to… well… everything?” He asked Jason. 

“Well, we all stayed at Camp Jupiter, in case you appeared back there, or needed our help. Will flew over when Percy told him what had happened; he arrived two days after you vanished. Leo and Calypso went back to Camp Half-Blood after New Year’s, but they did make me promise to call when you come back, so remind me to do that later, okay?” Jason listed, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal.

“I’m really sorry for making everyone worry about me like that, and inconveniencing all of you…” Nico muttered, looking away in embarrassment. 

“It wasn’t that much of a hassle, the Senate didn’t mind us staying there as long as I continued attending council sessions, actually. As for the others, just apologize to them in person, and promise that you won’t do that again… Or at least try, okay?”

Nico nodded. “I swear on the Styx that I won’t run away and hide every again unless I’m actually in danger.”

Jason gawked at him for a while, “Nico!” he gasped, “I didn’t mean that you should do something as extreme as that!” 

The son of Hades simply shrugged nonchalantly, showing that it hadn’t mattered to him all that much anyway and that a change of topic would be much appreciated.

“Oh, did you know that Piper and Annabeth are officially together now?” Jason asked.

“I’m not surprised,” Nico remarked, “Percy said something about seeing them kissing.”

“That probably explains why…” Jason mused, but didn’t finish what he was about to say. “What else? Oh, Reyna and Hazel nearly murdered Percy, so I think you can expect a scolding from them at least. I think that’s about it?”

They sat in silence for a while, watching the trees on the side of the highway whiz by, until Jason decided to stop delaying the inevitable.

“Were you serious about what you said last night?”

Nico rolled his eyes.

Jason tried again, “What I’m saying is; do you really want to be with me, or were you just saying that because you knew I have feelings for you? Please don’t say yes unless you are sure this is what will make you the happiest.”

“Do you know how hard it’s been all this while, trying not to fall for you, someone who up until recently was in a committed relationship, and who would never think of me in such a way?” Nico cried, “Right then, on the bank of that damned river, when you were unconscious and calling out my name, I finally realized just how wrong I was, and it started a storm inside my heart. I honestly don’t know what you see in me. I have decades worth of emotional baggage, I’m horrible at social interaction, I still have feelings for Percy and Will, and I don’t even treat you very nicely a lot of the time.”

Right then, they reached their destination. Startled by the car suddenly stopping, the two of them got out, waving to the chauffeur as the car vanished into the night.

“But yes, I want to give this a shot.” Nico continued, as they strode along the gravel path to Camp, “I think you were the first real friend I ever had. After Bianca died, for the longest time, I had nothing to live for, no one I cared about, except for an unhealthy obsession with Percy Jackson. Finding Hazel changed my life - I had someone whom I felt a responsibility to, someone who would mourn my death. Then, in that frightening moment when Eros forced me to admit something I never wanted to, your support meant everything to me. You gave me to courage to accept who I am, to embrace all that makes me who I am; my sexuality, my heritage, my godly parentage. You have no idea how much of an impact you have had on my life as my friend. I have faith that you would be a better boyfriend than I could ever imagine. So now, I’m asking you the question: what do you want?”

Jason grinned, staring into his mahogany eyes. “You.” He leaned in and kissed Nico gently and tentatively, relaxing when Nico moved closer, returning the kiss with vigor. Standing in the quiet moonlight, surrounded by a grove of snow-covered pine trees, it was like they were in a world of their own, the stars the only witness to their intimate moment.

When Jason whispered ‘I love you,’ Nico didn’t say words back, but his eyes were glistening in the moonlight...

After leaving their weapons at the Pomeranian Line, they managed to sneak back into the house without waking anyone else up. It was nearly midnight by then, so Jason didn’t feel like doing anything but collapsing onto his bed and falling asleep - who cared about baths, or changing clothes, anyway?

“Oh, Neeks, I forgot to tell that Will is sleeping in your room…” He mentioned, secretly hoping Nico would continue to share a bed with him.

“Of course I’ll love to share a bed with my boyfriend,” Nico replied, apparently reading Jason’s mind. They didn’t even try to hide their goofy grins as they headed to his room.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nico was glad to have another nightmare-free rest; he didn’t know how he had ever managed without Jason’s comforting presence behind him, holding him in a protective embrace. He wasn’t even mad when he found out that his room had been unoccupied all along, and that Will was snoozing in Percy’s bed.

When Jason and Nico returned after buying brunch, Percy was sitting on the counter, watching as Will brewed a pot of coffee. Nico approached him apprehensively. 

“Look, Percy, I’m sorry that I…”

“Nico, I wanted to say that…”

They both paused, then said ‘you go first’ at the exact same time. Despite their efforts to remain serious, Will’s chortling was contagious, and Jason eventually entered the kitchen to find all three of them laughing hysterically.

Breakfast was a terse affair, even after Percy and Nico had each said their piece, and had accepted each other’s apology. Nico couldn’t bring himself to look Will in the eye, and he caught Percy glancing at Jason warily. Jason, on the other hand, was in such a good mood that he didn’t seem to be capable of animosity at the moment.

Will, bless his soul, broke the awkward silence by asking Nico about what happened in the underworld, who was only too glad to blabber on, recounting everything from Persephone's garden, to playing with Cerberus, to taking a dip in the river of lamentation.

“Wait, you fell into River Cocytus?” Percy gasped. “Annabeth and I fell in once, when we were…” He looked around uneasily, saw the others’ understanding expressions and gave up on finishing his sentence.

Nico continued his account of how they had miraculously survived, after which Jason described the strange conversation he had had with Persephone, before they finished with what had happened in Elysium.

“Wow,” Will breathed when they were done. “Seems like it’s been an eventful few days for you two. Meanwhile, Percy and I have been enjoying our holiday here, shopping, eating and playing games. Anyway, what I’m saying is that we’re glad that you're back here in one piece. Make sure you go check in with everyone else. I don’t think it was a good idea to swear on the Styx, but it’s over and done with, so my only advice is that you quit drinking. It’s a bad habit, horrible for your physical and mental health, and you're way underage anyway. The two of you, stop enabling him.” Will commanded, looking from Nico, to Percy and Jason.

“Yes, doc.” The three chorused.

Will’s jubilant grin gave Nico hope that things between the four of them would be okay after all.


	23. Apprise (v.) to inform or tell someone

After breakfast, Nico and Jason set off for the Praetor’s Villa. It would have made for a pleasant stroll, if not for the anxiety eating away at Nico, and Jason’s uncharacteristic silence.

The white marble buildings with red tiled roofs seemed barely occupied, with the festive season over, and most residents preferring the warmth of the indoors. Perhaps that was the reason that Nico silently took Jason’s hand in his, or perhaps the reason was that he simply couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.

“You didn’t tell Percy and Will about us?” Jason finally asked. Nico didn’t know if he found Jason’s uncertainty and shyness endearing, or heartbreaking. It was almost as if he was struggling to believe that they were actually dating. How long had he kept his feelings hidden, thinking that they were unrequited? Nico knew first hand just how painful that could be.

“I’m not having second thoughts,” he assured, “the reason I haven’t told them is because I wanted to check with you first. Besides, Will is my ex, and Percy is… well… Percy. I don’t want things to get even more awkward between us.”

Jason nodded, looking relieved. “You set the pace then. Tell whoever you want when you’re ready.”

“Very soon.” Nico promised. “Honestly, I’m more worried about all the girls who like you getting jealous, than the homophobes,” he joked, kissing Jason there and then to assure him. He truly meant it; over the past year, his friends had helped him become far more comfortable with his sexuality, and he never really cared all that much about how strangers viewed him anyway. 

Hazel and Reyna both reacted the same way when Nico showed up on their doorstep; giving him a well-deserved tongue lashing, before pulling him into a hug.

“What happened between Percy and I was a mistake,” he told them. “We were both caught up in the heat of the moment. Still, I shouldn’t have reacted in the way I did when everyone found out. It was embarrassing, but I should have just owned up to the consequences of my actions, instead of running away.”

Hazel had simply told him that she was just glad he was back, her golden eyes gleaming with tears. Reyna apparently decided to spare him just once, though he had no doubt she had an ‘I told you so’ prepared for the next time they met. He felt that they let him off too easily, and promised himself not to let them down. 

Frank had simply ruffled his hair, telling him not to worry Hazel like that again. 

They decided to have lunch together, giving Jason and Nico the chance to tell the others of their adventure, as well as break the news about their relationship. 

Frank and Hazel were shocked, to say the least. Nico thought that they had expected him and Percy to get together, instead of him and Jason. Reyna, however, pointed out that she knew Jason well enough to guess that he had been crushing on Nico, but Nico was so deep in denial that neither she nor Hazel had ever picked up on any sign that he was into Jason whatsoever. She joked about not getting the opportunity to threaten Nico’s new boyfriend, as she would have done with a stranger, but nevertheless said that she would support them. Hazel, after getting over the initial shock, simply told Nico that he could always confide in her if he ever felt the need to. When Julien joined them halfway through the meal, he took one look at their joined hands, congratulated them on getting together, and promptly turned his attention to Reyna. 

“Do you think we should pay Piper and Annabeth a visit today?”Jason asked. They were the only two left in the restaurant - Frank and Reyna had Praetor duties to attend to; Hazel had Pegasi to attend to, and Julien had left for a modeling gig. “If we’re leaving for New York soon, I think we should at least drop by before then.” 

Nico picked at his half-eaten vanilla pudding. “Can we do that tomorrow? I need some time to be mentally prepared.” He knew that the two of them wouldn’t try to make him feel bad, but Jason and Percy were still their ex-boyfriends. 

“It’s going to be fine. Piper likes you, and Annabeth was the one who broke up with Percy in the first place. None of us cheated on them.” 

“Piper knew all along, right? Before she left Camp Half-Blood, she asked me to take care of you for her, or something along the lines of that.”

“So that’s what she said!” Jason laughed, “Yeah, I told her, Leo and Calypso. Given how obvious Reyna claims I was though, it’s a miracle the whole world wasn’t aware of how I feel about you.”

In hindsight, the signs had been there all along. While Jason was kind to pretty much everyone, he had always been exceptionally trusting and gentle with Nico, going out of his way to make Nico happy. Nico had grown so used to Jason’s affection that he hadn’t even considered the meaning behind it. Right then, he promised himself that he would do more to show his appreciation for Jason in the future.

After spending a good part of the day pondering about how to broach the topic to Percy and Will, Nico decided that fast and direct was the best way to go.

“By the way, guys, Jason and I are dating now,” he had simply stated. The other three had just finished watching some dystopian movie about teenagers killing each other on national television - the credits were still rolling. 

After the initial moment of shock, Percy turned to Jason, punching him playfully. “Jasonnn!” he whined, “You sneaky bastard, making a move on Nico when we weren’t there.”

“About time,” Will shrugged, “It was pretty obvious. The two of you have basically been acting like a couple for months.”

“Really?” 

“For instance, back when we visited my mom, the two of you were cuddling in your sleep.” Percy pointed out.

“Only because we had to share a bed!” Nico protested, accidentally activating his fear aura.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Will quickly added, trying to placate him, “so how did you two finally get together?”

“I wasn’t planning on telling Nico… like… ever,” Jason admitted, “but then we almost died, and I realized that I would regret it if I never got the chance to tell him. Didn’t help that I accidentally confessed not once, but twice. Surprisingly, he’s okay with it.”

“More than just ‘okay’,” Nico corrected, grinning. He kissed Jason, feeling the last vestiges of his defensiveness and apprehension draining away.

“Hey, hey, quit making out, you two!” Percy complained. “Nico, we put the presents that you left behind in the drawer in your room, in case you’re wondering where they are.”

Nico dashed to his room, putting on the pendant from Jason. The accessory wasn’t just to match his aesthetic. He knew that it was a reference to his name, but also a reminder that he could be; that he was a good person, regardless of how others thought of him. Next, he shoved the iPod Will had gotten him into his pocket, and ran out brandishing the deck of Mythomagic cards Percy had bought for him. “Who wants to learn how to play Mythomagic?”

It was a good thing Percy had thought of buying extra decks; after burning all his cards in a fit of rage, Nico had never bothered to buy any new ones. At least with all of them using starter decks, it was a fair game. That is, it would be a fair game if not for the fact that Percy had absolutely no clue what he was doing, getting eliminated first each time, but trying his hardest to take Jason down with him. Which was rather easy, considering that Jason was way too nice to make any aggressive moves. Will, on the other hand, was a quick learner and gave Nico a run for his money. When the two of them were the only ones left, Jason would pull Nico onto his lap, watching him play over his shoulder, while Percy busied himself with getting snacks and trying to feed everyone.

It was a very different experience, playing Mythomagic the way it was meant to be played - in a group. Nico had not had such a luxury in a long time. It was nice, being able to feel excited about the game without having to worry about whether the others would think he was a geek. 

“You’re really okay with it?” Nico asked Will, after Jason and Percy had both spontaneously fallen asleep over the course of their fifth game. “With Jason and I being a couple, I mean.”

“Jason and Piper aren’t together anymore, and you and I broke up even before that. You aren’t doing anything wrong, and I don’t really have a say in who you want to date.” Will shrugged, nonchalantly. “Honestly, I’m more concerned about if you are really okay with it. You’re with him because you want to, not because you feel obliged to be with him after he confessed to you, right?”

“Actually, that’s pretty much the same thing Reyna said,” Nico laughed, “the two of you do seem rather alike in that sense, for all you dislike each other. To answer your question, for the longest time, I never even dared to entertain the thought of Jason and I being together… but when I realized that it was a possibility, I knew without a doubt that this is what I want. Plus, seeing how happy he has been, I know I’m doing the right thing. I love him. Perhaps it’s a bit too early to say that in a romantic way, but I know I will in time.” 

“What about Percy?” Will asked, glancing over at the boy in question, who was snoring on the floor.”

“Percy doesn’t like me in that way. What happened then… That was only because he was upset, and wanted to momentarily forget about Annabeth, and I was too drunk to stop him. Either way, there will be nothing happening between the two of us. Maybe now that I’m with Jason, I’ll finally get over him. Hopefully.”

Will raised an eyebrow at that, but did not make any comment. “Well, help me get these two dorks onto their beds, or they’ll be feeling sore tomorrow.”

They got Percy to his room without much trouble; Jason, on the other hand, woke up the moment they tried to lift him, which was just as well since Nico doubted they’d be able to carry him anyway. Nico waved goodnight to Will, pushing a half-asleep Jason to his room. They didn’t have many nights left in New Rome, and Nico didn’t want to miss any chances to snuggle up in bed with Jason.


	24. Quest (n./v.) an expedition to accomplish a prescribed task / to search for something

If there was one thing that Percy had learnt about being a demigod, it was ‘You don’t get a break.’ No sooner had the Titan war ended than he had been kidnapped, memory wiped, and thrown headfirst into the next war. 

So, it didn’t even surprise him to find the Queen of the Olympians waiting for them when they reached Camp. He tumbled out of the car, glad to no longer be squeezed between Jason and Will - there simply wasn’t enough space for three guys, all around six feet tall, in the back seat. The others were already being admonished by Hera. 

“You have kept me waiting, demigods. Let us make haste.” She commanded, turning around and strutting towards the Big House. Chiron, who had been waiting with her, gave Percy a look that said that he wasn’t pleased with her presence either, but nevertheless trotted after her. 

Jason looked like he had just eaten a lemon, while Nico seemed to be seething silently. Percy decided to grab a confused-looking Will and lead the group to their inevitable doom.

“Children,” Hera announced, glowing more than usual in her traditional peplos, “the gods have decided to bestow the honor of a quest upon you.”

Percy groaned internally. Another quest? Did she actually believe that she was doing them a favor, or simply being her usual bitchy self?

“As the oracle is currently… out of commission, I have taken the liberty of coming up with instructions for you,” she paused, then started reading in a booming voice, “

Three great sons, listen well,  
for your lives are in peril.  
Seek out the sun that fell,  
prepare to face many a trial.

Isolation by choice,  
Nightmares that strengthen ties,  
and betrayal by force,  
What’s dear will soon be lost.

Honor the gods, follow the path.  
Don’t fall for those who disobey.  
Heed our decree, or face our wrath.  
For this will be your destiny.”

Hera finished her poem, looking pleased with herself. Honestly, Percy thought that it really sucked, but he wasn’t particularly keen on saying so and getting vaporized by an angry goddess.

“The sun that fell...” Nico mused, “does that mean that we have to look for Apollo?”

Hera pointedly ignored him, addressing Jason and Percy instead. “You will have to seek out that errant child of Zeus' - he’s had his punishment, and the pantheon needs him back.”

“Three sons?” Jason asked. “You mean Will won’t be coming with us?”

“It’s okay,” Will quickly added, “if I’m not needed, I'll just be a burden to you guys.”

“No!” Percy insisted. “We want you to come with us… If you want to, that is. If we are to look for your father, I’m sure you’d be able to help.”

“Fine,” Hera conceded, “you can bring a fourth member on your quest if you want to. Now, you three get lost and start preparations. I wish to speak with my boy Jason.”

Percy reluctantly left the room, followed by Nico and Will as they were shepherded out by Chiron.

“Do you think it’s a good idea for us to go on this quest?” He asked the old centaur.

“Lady Hera has personally asked this of you, so I don’t have much of a say in the matter. True, I am rather concerned about how much monster attention three of the most powerful demigods travelling together would draw, but I trust that you will be resourceful enough to complete the quest and get back safely. Lady Hera had been waiting for you here since this morning,” he grimaced, “it would be impolite to keep her waiting much longer. I suggest that you leave tomorrow morning.”

No wonder Chiron was in a foul mood - having to deal with Hera for a few minutes already felt like torture. Putting up with her a whole day seemed unimaginably horrible.

“Okay then, we will leave tomorrow,” Percy promised. He turned to Will, “So what do you have to say about all of this? Do you want to come with us?”

“Well… I know why Hera didn’t want me on the quest - I don’t think I’d be very helpful. But Apollo is my dad, and even if he hasn’t been around much all my life, I do want to find out what happened to him. Plus… I’d rather stay with you guys.”

“It’s settled then,” Nico smiled, “you’re coming with us. I’m sure we could use your healing skills.”

They returned to their cabins to unpack (and then pack again). It was already ten when Percy heard a knocking at his door. Strange; ever since Annabeth had left, the only who regularly visited him was Jason. Knowing him for the goody two-shoes he was though, Jason wouldn’t break curfew unless something important had happened. To his surprise, he opened the door to find Will waiting patiently outside his cabin.

“What is it, Will? Is everything okay?”

“I could just be visiting you,” the son of Apollo complained, “it doesn’t mean there’s an emergency. Wow, are those bronze things on the ceiling Hippocampi?” He climbed up one of the bunk beds to have a better look at them. Percy joined him, waiting for Will to tell him what was going on.

“Look Perce, I need to know… What’s going on between us?” He turned to look at Percy, and blushed, “Oh, and for gods’ sake, put on a shirt before you give me an aneurysm.”

Percy did as he was asked, but couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. Did he really relish Will’s admission that he found him attractive that much? Probably. He figured he did owe Will an answer. For the past couple of weeks, the two of them had been stuck in a strange limbo, making out and cuddling at times, and then going back to their friendship before they could go beyond that. It was quite confusing emotionally, not to mention it gave him a terrible case of blue balls. Neither he nor Will were the type of people to fool around without attachments (apart from that one time), but was he ready to admit that he was bisexual, and finally date Will? Was it fair to do so when he still loved Annabeth, and had conflicted feelings towards Nico?

“Is it really such a bad thing to be with me?” Will sighed despondently. “I’m not asking you to say yes, Perce. It’s killing me to wonder, and imagine, and when you inevitably realize that this isn’t what you want, it’s just going to crush me even more. Just make it fast, okay?” He tried to get up, but Percy instinctively grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back onto the bed.

“Don’t say that,” Percy stated resolutely, “You’re not just a fling for me. I really care about you, Will. I know we didn’t get along that well to begin with, what with you dating Nico and all, but it didn't take long for me to trust you. Even if we weren't a couple, you'd still be one of the most important people in my life.”

He saw the light slowly returning to Will’s eyes. Time to pull out the dramatics. He hopped down and dug around in a drawer, grabbing the blue ring pop that he had bought for that exact occasion. “Will Solace,” he declared, going down on one knee and holding up the ring, “how did I not realize that what I’ve been looking for has been in front of my eyes the entire time. The past few weeks have been absolutely amazing, and every time I’m with you, you take my breath away. So, will you do me the utmost honor of being my boyfriend?”

Will nearly fell out of the bed, he was laughing so hard. “Oh gods,” he giggled, “you’re such a dork. Where did you even get that lump of sugar from? I can’t believe you just proposed to me with a ring pop…” he paused, “and I can’t believe I’m saying yes. Now come up here and kiss me, Perce.”

“Oh, I’m gonna do much more than just kiss you,” Percy grinned, sliding the ring on Will’s finger before acceding to his request. He didn’t really know why, but he found the blush on Will’s face insanely adorable. At first, one of the reasons he had been reluctant to declare that they were dating was that he hadn’t been sure if what they had was a mere physical attraction, or something more. Thinking about it, though, if seeing Will smile made his heart flutter and feel like it was going to explode, then he was probably falling hard, and fast, for him.


	25. Headway (n.) forward movement or progress, usually slow and difficult

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning; there will be mild sexual content in this chapter!

Jason, as usual, was up at the crack of dawn. By seven, he was already waiting by Thalia’s pine on the fringe of camp, carrying a small travel backpack stuffed full of supplies. It took him all of ten minutes to realize that he was an idiot; unlike those in the legion, his friends didn’t give a crap about his authority or leadership, which meant that all of them were probably all still asleep.

He stalked off in the direction of his boyfriend’s cabin… boyfriend - those were sacred syllables on the tip of his tongue. Jason still dreaded the morning that he woke up and realized that it had all been a dream, or Nico fell out of love with him like Piper did, or Percy suddenly confessed to Nico, and Nico would leave Jason to be with him. Surreal as they were, the days passed, and Jason was beginning to notice the adoration in Nico's eyes - that glimmer of starlight that had been there all along, assuring him that his feelings weren’t one-sided. 

Hera’s warning from the previous day still sent chills up his spine. Once upon a time, Jason would have done anything to gain the favor of his patron, and his father. Yet, when his nascent relationship was on the line, defiance practically came naturally to him. Hera hadn’t been pleased. She wanted him to find a nice, pretty girl like Piper to settle down with, not a loose cannon who could match Jason’s power like Nico. He didn’t even dare to ask if she cared that he was a guy. 

“If you won’t break up with him, then I’ll do it for you.” The words she had said lingered over Jason like an ominous cloud, a threat that he could only pray that the goddess would eventually forget.

The door of the Hades cabin swung open when Jason rested his hand on it. Sprawled on the bed was the Dark Angel himself, silky black sheets pooled around his sleeping form, contrasting against his bare skin. Instead of blushing and hurriedly leaving as he would have done in the past, Jason had the privilege of leaving a trail of kisses starting from his neck and down his chest. Nico stirred almost immediately, tugging Jason onto the bed and mumbling that it was way too early in the morning for them to fuck. Jason pointed out that it was probably too early in _their relationship_ for sex, but they did have a quest to go on.

By the time he managed to get Nico to leave the bed, change into decent clothes, and pack his bag, Jason figured out that they might as well join the others for breakfast.

They found Percy and Will seated at Percy’s table, chattering about some TV series like the dorks they were. Apparently, they had convinced Chiron to bend the rules so they could have a ‘quest discussion’, so they beckoned to the approaching duo to join them. 

“Will was telling me about this show called Voltron: Legendary Defender, and apparently there’s a character called Keith who he thinks is basically the cartoon version of Nico, and there's a guy called Lance that slightly resembles me,” Percy explained, waving his arms around excitedly. “I bet we could convince Leo to build us a device we can watch Netflix on.”

“You have an announcement to make, right?” Will prompted.

“That although it’s kinda freaky, after seeing the comic Will had, I kinda ship Klance?”

Nico choked on his coffee so badly that Will had to check to make sure there wasn't any mocha in his lungs.

“Sorry, Nico,” Percy grimaced. “I was only talking about the fictional characters, I swear! Anyway, I think that what Will wanted me to say, is that I’m bisexual.”

Almost immediately, there was a series of hoots and cheers from the Apollo table - those kids had exceptional hearing, it seemed. Jason thought he heard “About time, Percy!” “Thanks a lot for helping us win the bet!” and “All the gayness in camp is literally clustered around that one table.”

Instead of looking embarrassed, Percy simply shouted back, “You can join us if you want, Austin!”

Nico actually looked shocked, which Jason didn’t understand; _he_ had first-hand experience with Percy’s bisexuality.

“It’s great that you're finally coming out, Percy,” Jason said, trying to sound supportive instead of sarcastic. “Perhaps now you can make out with Will, instead of mauling my boyfriend, eh?”

That earned him a jab from Nico, but the blush on Will’s face didn’t go unnoticed by the two of them.

“Will, you…” Nico started to say, but was shushed by Will, who muttered, “Later.”

“Like you’re in any position to say that, bro,” Percy retorted indignantly, “since when were you out of the closet?”

Jason shrugged, “I’ve actually never really tried to hide the fact that I’m demisexual.”

Judging from the lack of response from the Apollo table, most of the campers knew that already. Percy let out an indignant huff, before proceeding to rant more about whatever TV show he had been talking about.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So far, the quest didn’t seem like much of a quest, but an extended road trip. Hera had given the extremely vague instructions of “go south”, so Jason had figured that they should head through Philadelphia and DC, resting for the night somewhere in Virginia. Thankfully, Nico’s driver had shown up in an SUV with ample space. Jason didn’t want to think about where the vehicle could have come from, but at least he wasn’t getting elbowed in the ribs every couple of minutes.

“Guys, shut up!” Nico yelled, “I can’t even hear my music over your arguing.”

Will, who had been in the middle of an inane argument with Percy, stopped immediately. The iPod Nico had been using was a gift from him, preloaded with special playlists, and he glowed with pride whenever Nico listened to them.

“So,” Jason asked, “are you going to tell us what’s happening between the two of you?”

“We’re dating,” Percy stated, shrugging.

“What?” Nico exclaimed, tugging out his earphones. “Since when? How?”

Will chuckled at his flabbergasted expression, “Since last night. I actually have you to thank; if Percy hadn’t insisted on crashing our dates all the time, I don’t think the two of us would have actually become close friends in the first place. Then, while you were off moping in the underworld, I helped poor, confused Percy here figure out his sexuality, and somewhere along the way, we became boyfriends. I didn’t say anything at breakfast, because knowing my siblings and given how fast rumors spread, the whole camp would know by the end of the day. It’s still all new and overwhelming for me, and I don’t know how things will turn out, honestly.”

Jason, who might or might not have caught them kissing at some point of time in the past few days, had been rather surprised at that time. He knew that Percy had hung out with Will a lot in the past couple of months, especially after Annabeth had broken up with him, but hadn’t expected that there had been anything going on. Well, at least he didn’t have to worry about Percy (or Will for that matter) fighting him for Nico’s affections. 

In the end, knowing that Percy and Will were together didn’t change things all that much. After getting over his initial shock, Nico had said that if they were happy, he would support them in any way he could. Jason echoed the sentiment, and realized that he really meant it. One good thing was that they started making out in the back, which seemed to annoy Jules-Albert, but gave the other two some peace and quiet. Nico listened to his music, eventually falling asleep in Jason’s lap.

After dinner, when Jason attempted to set up a tent in a local park, Nico had simply glared at him, pointing out that he had enough money for all of them to stay in a hotel until the next year. It didn’t take long to locate a place to spend the night; Percy, the only one who was eighteen, was tasked with getting a room. It had taken him a lot of effort and no small amount of flirting with the hotel receptionist, much to Will’s ire, but he eventually succeeded.

The suite wasn’t very big, consisting of one big room and a bathroom to the side, but it seemed sufficient for their needs, with a duo of queen size beds, a television set, and even a mini fridge stocked with overpriced drinks. Jason had complained a bit about how much the room had cost, but when Nico pointed out that the bathtub was big enough for two to share, he had promptly shut up. 

It wasn’t until they were in the bathroom that he finally realized just what they had gotten themselves into. Percy and Will had left to buy dinner, claiming that they didn’t want to hear ‘whatever went on in there’, which was ironic since Jason hadn’t even considered doing anything sexual in the first place, especially since Nico didn’t seem willing to. He didn’t even hesitate before taking off his clothes; a lifetime of Roman baths had been more than enough to rid him of such reservations. Only when he turned to look at Nico did he realize that that wasn’t the case with his boyfriend.

“You’re shivering,” Jason noticed, pulling his pants back on and padding over to where Nico stood by the closed door, arms protectively wrapped around his bare chest. “We don’t have to do anything that you’re uncomfortable with, you know?”

Nico shook his head adamantly, “I want to… I’m just nervous… give me a moment.” He fumbled with the button on his jeans, getting more panicked with each passing second.

“Neeks, wait.” Jason grabbed his shaking hands, kissing him as a distraction. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s just…” Nico sighed, gesturing vaguely in Jason’s direction, “you’re basically perfection, and I really don’t know what you see in me.”

“Firstly, I don’t really care how you look like; part of being demisexual means that I don’t even take the looks of others into consideration, at least not 'tiI I feel a strong emotional connection with them. I love you for who you are, Neeks, not how you look. But now that you mention it,” he spun Nico around, such that they were both looking at the mirror, with Nico leaning against his chest. “What do you see?”

“I… I… see a short, bony boy with pale skin and eyes that are too big and a mess of hair and lot of scars...” Nico turned away, staring at the tiles on the floor.

“Do you know what I see?” Jason asked, “I see an angel, with soft, smooth and fair skin, lovely raven hair, and wonderful, expressive eyes. I don’t care if you’re thin; I’ve seen you when you were starving and you look so much healthier now. I like that you’re shorter than me; you fit against me perfectly that way. And your scars are badges of honor, Nico. They show that you are a survivor, a fighter, and you’re tough enough to withstand everything that the Fates have thrown at you. The way you look makes you unique, and I wouldn’t change a thing even if I could.”

Nico gazed at his reflection as if he was trying to see what Jason was describing. “How do you always know the perfect thing to say?” he asked, smiling weakly.

“I just said what I felt. You’re beautiful, Nico; don’t ever forget that. Now, are you going to take a bath or not?”

As it turned out, sharing the bathtub was quite a tight squeeze, with Jason being mostly to blame. It was a quintessentially intimate thing, lying there in silence and being able to feel each other’s bare skin. Considering his earlier trepidation, Jason was surprised when Nico ended up being the one initiating things between them, kissing Jason deeply and sliding his hand down Jason’s body bit by bit, making his intention clear but giving Jason ample time to react.

“Are you sure? Jason asked,” trying to see if there was any trace of hesitation in his eyes.

Nico smiled mischievously, moving his hand further down. “I’ve done this before, don’t worry.”

Jason nodded his consent, gasping at the sensation of Nico’s hand suddenly wrapping around his dick. “Wait,” he groaned, “I want to you to enjoy this too.” He shifted their position so that they were aligned, and adjusted Nico’s grip such that he could stroke both of them at the same time. Jason could feel the extent of Nico’s arousal; his whimpers only served to heighten Jason’s own rapture. He captured Nico’s lips with his own, losing himself to the overwhelming sensations. It was like time stood still; he savored every moment, staring deep into Nico’s eyes, appreciating every soft moan and whimper that left his lips. After some time, Jason realized Nico’s movements were becoming faster and more desperate. “I’m close,” he whispered, feeling Nico shudder against him, “you feel so good, Angel.”

“ _Anche io amore mio_ ,” Nico mewled; a split second later, he lost control with a cry, biting Jason’s neck in a bid to stop himself from making any other sound. Jason followed soon after, spilling all over Nico and into the water. Sparks danced at the edges of his vision. 

They lay there in silence, enjoying their shared afterglow. Words were not necessary; from the way Nico relaxed against him, letting out a soft sigh, Jason knew that neither of them had any regrets.

“You know that the water we’re in is really gross now, right?” Nico commented lazily, making no attempt to move. 

“Just another moment; then we’ll clean up and get out.”

When they got out half an hour later, faces red and skin pruney, Percy handed them their cold dinner and commented that he would be taking a shower. Will made the mistake of touching Nico’s shoulder, which caused him to withdraw his hand like he had been burnt, and fan his face like Hazel tended to do. Nico was still too blissed out to realize what was going on, while Jason merely grinned cheekily at Will, who stormed out of the room in exaggerated disgust. 

“That wasn’t too much, right?” Jason asked, when Nico and he were both lying in bed, watching Percy and Will face off in some card game. 

Nico stared at him like he was insane. “That was unforgettable. I loved every single moment.”

Will cleared his throat loudly, but they ignored him, lost in each other’s gaze. What they had shared was much more than sexual gratification. They had bared themselves to each other; learned more about each other, and grown as a couple. Nico was right - that night was one neither of them would ever forget.


	26. Paraenesis (n.) a communication urging someone to do something

When Jason shook him awake the next morning, Nico didn’t expect to find the image of his stepmother floating in mid-air in front of them. Seeing that he was awake, Persephone grinned, “Good morning, Nico dear. Oh, and good morning, Nico’s boyfriend,” she added when Jason moved into the frame. “Hades says to send his regards, and tell Nico he said ‘I told you so’.”

“Morning,” Nico groaned, glad that he had chosen to sleep fully dressed the previous night, on account of the fact that Percy and Will were in the same room. “Did something happen?”

Persephone laughed nervously, making a flower bloom on the palm of her hand and adding it to the flower arrangement she seemed to be working on. “I just called to see how you were doing. Your father mentioned that you were on a quest?”

“Yeah,” Jason answered on Nico’s behalf. “We are seeking out Lord Apollo, seeing as he has been missing for more than a year.”

“I wish you luck with that, then. Nico, your birthday is coming up soon, right? Your father and I wanted to ask you what you wanted for a gift, since we have yet to get you one. What do you think about a unicorn stuffed toy?” Persephone asked, her voice sickly sweet. She gave him a discreet smirk.

“Wait,” Nico said, struggling to process what was going on, “hasn’t he…” Suddenly, his sleep-deprived mind gave him a plausible answer to Persephone’s confusing statement.

“Jason, give me a moment.” 

He shadow traveled to the park Jason had wanted to camp in the previous day, finding a deserted spot where he could raise an obsidian box to cover him. It was crude, but Hades had once mentioned something about the cloaking powers of the magical stone.

The image of Persephone had followed him, casting just enough light for him to see her.

“Thanks, Nico. I’m glad that you were perceptive enough to get what I was trying to convey. Yes, your father did tell me about his birthday present to you. I haven’t gotten you something, though, so if you do want that fluffy unicorn…”

“No, I’m fine. What is it that you needed to discuss privately?” Nico asked.

“Well, I have suspicions that there are gods who are trying to manipulate all of you. Yes, we do need to find Apollo, but sending three sons of the Big Three to do the job does seem rather strange. I don’t have much to go by, but I’d ask you to be very careful on this quest. Remember, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light. Also, don’t forget that Hades and I will always be here for you if you ever need us.” Before Nico could ask her about the meaning behind her cryptic message, the image had already vanished, leaving him alone in the darkness of the capsule.

Nico took his time returning to back to the hotel room, trying to enjoy a stroll through the suburbs. It almost seemed strange, wandering around alone, when he had unknowingly become accustomed the presence of the others. The chilly wind nipped at his skin, and he found himself giving up and shadowing back in less than ten minutes.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We should get going,” Jason said for what seemed to be the hundredth time, but to no avail. Apparently, Percy had lured Will into the bathroom and dumped the entire bathtub’s contents of water on him. After he had dried off, Will had tackled Percy onto the bed, tickling him relentlessly to get his revenge. Under normal circumstances, Percy would be able to escape his clutches, except that Nico decided to join in as well, helping Will keep him pinned. Tickling Percy was an exceedingly fun thing to do; he was so expressive that even without having Will’s powers, Nico could tell exactly what he was feeling. It made him pathetically easy to tease. Finally, deciding that Percy was sufficiently remorseful, Will let him up, all of them still laughing uncontrollably. 

“Ready to go now?” Jason asked, trying and failing to hide his smirk.

“Yeah, we got everything packed already. Come on, guys, it’s already ten, and I think Jason wants to make it to Atlanta by today,” Will added, being the only other one of them to have read the maps. 

“Not so fast,” a voice by the door drawled. To Nico’s horror, his sworn enemy strolled in casually, followed by another attractive, androgynous god.

“Lord Cupid, Lord Calamitus, what brings you here?” Jason asked, his disdain barely hidden under his usual veneer of politeness. Oh, so the other god was Ganymede. Nico was already starting to panic - there could be no good reason for two love gods to be visiting them.

Eros grinned menacingly. “Oh,” he laughed, flapping his wings and sending a powerful gust of wind through the room. “We just felt bad that you’re so busy doing the gods’ dirty work again… how about you take a break? A visit to a tropical island would be nice, wouldn't it?.”

“Thank you for your offer, but we have a quest to complete. Now, if you may excuse us,” Will began, making an attempt to walk past the gods and out of the room.

“Not so fast, Freckles,” Eros waved his hand, and Will was frozen in place. “I wasn’t asking - this arrangement is non-negotiable. Enjoy!” 

He snapped his fingers, and Nico’s surroundings started spinning. Distantly, he could hear the muffled voices of Jason and Percy shouting, but they were muffled as if he was underwater. A moment later, he felt the usual disorienting sensation of being teleported, and everything vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As SunshineandShadows pointed out, "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." Is a Dumbledore quote from Harry Potter. What if Persephone is secretly a Potterhead?


	27. Stranded (adj.) left without the means to escape from somewhere

The island appeared to be untouched by mankind, remaining in its natural, pristine state. From what Will could see from the seashore where they landed, the ocean stretched out into the distance, a vast expanse of cerulean that met with the sky. The sea breeze reminded him of Percy, who no doubt would have loved the place. It seemed that Nico was the only one there beside him, though. Will crawled over to the son of Hades, who was lying unconscious in the sand a few paces away. 

“Neeks, are you okay?”

Nico groaned, muttering that only Jason called him that, then turned over and promptly fell asleep. Well, at least he wasn’t injured.

After Will finally managed to wake him up, the two did a quick scout of the whole island. It seemed really small; they circled the perimeter in slightly more than an hour. There was a small creek and a hilly region with caves towards the middle of the island, but not much else. There was no sign of life anywhere except for some small insects, rabbits and squirrels inland, as well as crabs, clams and starfish washed up on the beach. Nico said that the place reminded him of Calypso’s island, from how she had described it - except that there was no sign that anyone had ever lived there.

“I hope Jason and Percy are okay,” Nico murmured, “we got separated so suddenly. Eros is such an asshole; whatever he wants from them, it can’t be good.”

Will nodded, ‘“We should try to find a way out of here as soon as possible, and see if we can help them.“

“Easier said than done. I’ve already tried shadow traveling, but it’s not working. Even if we could build a boat, we could be sailing for months before reaching land, if that’s possible at all. This place is probably like Calypso’s island, designed to keep prisoners in. We’ll be stuck here for a long time if no one comes to rescue us.”

“Well, at least we won’t starve to death,” Will said, “I think I saw quite a few edible plants and fruits just now, they’re usually used as medicine but they don’t taste all that bad. Should we…” He was cut off by a sudden crack of thunder. Looking up at the rapidly darkening sky, Will realized that it was going to rain soon.

“This way!” Nico yelled, running off before Will could respond, leaving him with no choice but to follow. He didn’t even realize where they were heading until they were near the entrance of the cave. By then, it had already begun to drizzle, raindrops slipping between the leaves of the trees and falling in Will’s face. Without a second thought, they both darted into the cave.

“It seems like we made it just in time,” Will gasped, hardly able to hear himself over the sound of the downpour. “How big is this thing?” he wondered, squinting in the dim light.

“Not very,” Nico answered, sounding apprehensive, “even my cabin is bigger than it.”

“We have no choice but to wait here until the rain stops, I guess?” Will sighed, finding a rock to sit down on near the mouth of the cave. That was a terrible idea since the rock gave way and rolled away, causing him to fall over. The rocks behind it followed, and if not for Nico’s quick thinking in dragging him away, Will would have been crushed under the avalanche of rocks.

“Now we’re stuck here!” Nico shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls of the cave. “Just when I thought the situation couldn’t get worse.”

“I’m sorry, I should...”

“It’s not your fault, Will.” Nico insisted. “If the gods put us here, it means that this cave is probably a trap. It’s not like we can do anything about it now. Not even the slightest bit of light is getting in, which means that the pile of rocks is pretty huge. I… I don’t have anything with me, except for my sword, dagger, and wallet. Even the iPod you got me is in our hotel room…”

Will couldn’t help notice that Nico hadn’t let of his hand yet. He was trembling slightly… was he cold? Will focused his powers. Nico’s body temperature was fine, but his heart rate was much higher than it should be. Anger? Or fear? Will wasn’t sure. “Come, let’s find a place to sit down. We can worry about getting out later, okay? It’s probably still raining now.”

It was a good thing that the floor of the cave was fairly flat (he should have just sat there in the first place). Fumbling around in the pitch darkness, Will managed to maneuver them into sitting side by side, leaning against the wall. Nico still didn’t let go of his hand.

Was he scared of the dark? But he was the Ghost King! The darkness yielded to his command! Or maybe it was the small space. Will had only heard bits and pieces about what Nico had gone through during the war, but spending days in a bronze jar was probably enough to give just about anyone claustrophobia.

“W...Will, can you talk? Umm… about anything?” Nico pleaded, “You usually chatter non-stop, so don’t stop now. Tell me about your work in the infirmary?”

That was a strange request, but for Nico, Will would be glad to do so. “I can’t tell you about my patients since I'm supposed to maintain their confidentiality, but I could talk about the various herbs I saw just now, I guess? Can you tell me why you need me to distract you, though?” Nico hesitated, so he quickly added, “You don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable telling me…”

Nico’s pulse quickened. “I.. It… It’s just, I can’t see…”

Will instantly understood what he meant; Nico had phenomenal vision in the dark - they had movie nights at Leo’s place sometimes, and Nico never had trouble finding his way in the dim bunker. In total darkness, though, Will guessed that he would feel even more disoriented and incapacitated than the average person, not to mention the trauma his experience in the bronze jar must have caused him.

“Maybe I can help,” Will concentrated where Nico’s hand was linked with his, trying to transfer some of his energy like he did when he was healing. Sure enough, his hand began to glow faintly.

“Whoa,” Nico gasped. In the dim light, Will thought that he could see an inkling of a smile on his face.

Will pulled Nico closer so that they were leaning against each other. He started rambling about herbs and remedies, not stopping until Nico’s breathing evened and he was asleep.


	28. Coercion (n.) the action or practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Kinda dub-con, since Nico and Will are held hostage until the other two give into the gods' demands. It's not very explicit, but still, skip this chapter if you don't want to read that. Summary: Percy and Jason have sex, and they enjoy it much more than they expected to.

“You want us to do WHAT?” Percy exclaimed incredulously.

“Copulate. Make love. Have Sex. Fuck. Whatever you wanna call it,” Eros shrugged, “Full, penetrative sex, mind you, we won't let you get away with just a handjob if that's what you're thinking. Put on a good show for us, and we will return your boyfriends to you.”

“No way!” Percy balked. “No offense, bro, but I’m not particularly keen on doing that.”

“None taken,” Jason answered. He kneeled on the floor in front of the gods. “Lord Calamitus, please reconsider your request. Perhaps we could do a quest for you; slay some monsters, or retrieve some magical artifact?”

Ganymede raised his hands, shrugging. “Don’t call me that. Anyway, whatever he says, goes, I’m afraid,” he gestured to Eros, “Plus, I've been stuck in Zeus’ palace for weeks now, I could use some entertainment.”

“Tick tock,” Eros taunted, his blood red eyes flashing like a predator’s. “Your boyfriends will remain in danger for every minute you hesitate. We will give you some ‘privacy’, but I’d hurry if I were you.” With a wink and a wave, the two gods vanished from the room.

“We’re screwed,” Percy murmured, trying to gauge Jason’s reaction to the situation. The Roman seemed to be impassive, but when he tried to open the door and found that it was locked, he kicked it savagely. Unsurprisingly, it remained firmly shut. Percy tried to summon his power and blow up the toilet, but nothing happened. He flopped onto the bed with a groan of defeat.

“Is this what ‘betrayal by force’ meant? I can’t believe Juno knew this would happen and didn't stop it from happening… or worse still, she orchestrated it.” Jason hissed.

“Wait, so are we really doing this?” Percy stared in shock as Jason inched towards him, backing away on reflex.

“I don’t see any other way we’re getting out of here. You can… you know… top, if you want. I’m sure Will will understand if you explain it to him...” he frowned, “at least, I hope so.”

Percy grinned. “Will kinda once said that he would give me a pass if it was with you, actually. Nico though, his fatal flaw is holding grudges, right? Also, I’d rather bottom. It’s less effort.” he gritted his teeth in resolve, closing the gap between them.

Jason nodded. “If anything were to happen to them, I would never forgive myself. Let’s just get this over with.”

As if on cue, a box of condoms and a bottle of lube appeared on the bed beside them.

“Thanks,” Percy muttered awkwardly, “How about this, I prepare myself, and you go into the bathroom and give me some privacy.”

Jason turned to move, but the bathroom door slammed shut.

“Fine, you'd have to watch, I guess.” Percy found that he actually liked the idea more than he cared to admit, but figured that Jason would probably be uncomfortable with the prospect. Not missing a beat, he took off his shirt and pants, lying in front of Jason in his underwear.

“It might be a bit less awkward if we’re both naked?” He suggested.

As if snapped out of a trance, Jason nodded slowly, pulling off his shirt. Oh gods… Percy knew he was well built, but he wasn’t expecting him to be absolutely ripped. Unable to help himself, Percy trailed his eyes down the contours of Jason’s muscular frame, appreciating how the soft glow of sunlight streaming through blinds drew shadows on his tanned skin.

He looked into Jason’s azure eyes, seeing the unmistakable arousal. Time to get to work; Percy generously coated his index and middle fingers with lube, slowly stretching himself out in preparation for Jason. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t done before, but having Jason watch somehow made it many times hotter. After what seemed to be an eternity, Percy finally felt confident enough to moan, “I’m ready.”

With a growl, Jason fell upon him. They were lost in a flurry of lust; biting, touching, kissing... Despite some suppressed part of Percy screaming that he should stop, he simply couldn’t think rationally, not when he could feel Jason’s body pressed against his, and Jason’s lips against his bare skin. And so, he surrendered himself to the sensations, losing himself in the storm.

It seemed to last forever, yet was over before they knew it. They reached their climax simultaneously, after which Jason quickly pulled away and fled to the toilet. Percy struggled to put on his clothes, his brain still not quite caught up with all that happened.

Thankfully, it was only after he finished dressing that the two gods appeared with a poof. 

“That was… amazing. I didn’t know you had it in you,” Ganymede breathed, “We’ll give you some time to clean up this mess. Don’t worry, I’ll return your boyfriends safe and sound by sundown. I’m sorry for doing this to you. This guy here is a sadist, so he probably doesn’t care, but if it means anything to you, we didn’t have a choice either.”

Eros looked like he was going to say something, but the other god grabbed him by the wing and the two vanished again.

An hour later, Jason emerged from the bathroom, looking flustered. He refused to meet Percy’s curious gaze, pulling out some clothes from his backpack and returning to get changed. Percy decided to follow his lead, taking as much time as he possibly could in order to postpone their inevitable conversation.

“So, are we going to pretend that nothing happened?” Percy finally asked.

Jason looked over from where he was immersed in a stack of maps and plans. “What do you want me to say? That I enjoyed it way more than I should have? That I feel insanely guilty now because I betrayed my boyfriend? That I don’t even want to think about why I find you so attractive when I’ve always been demisexual?” 

That was certainly more than Percy had expected. To him, it had been a once-in-a-lifetime, freak incident that he would reminiscence about in the future, but not one that would have a lasting impact. After all, he was dating Will, not Jason. Plus, Jason was his bro. Their relationship practically functioned with the assumption that they could be really close without it being weird because of their ‘bromance’. 

Even so, Jason clearly wasn’t keen on talking, so Percy had no choice but to wait in silence until the other two returned.


	29. Ephialtes (n.) a nightmare

When Will regained consciousness, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place. It was a cavernous area, lit by flowing pools of magma. The ground shifted and rolled beneath his feet, boils on its red surface popping from time to time. The sheer hostility of the place was palpable - everything from the bone-like stalagmites and stalactites to the thick miasma threatened to kill.

Instinctively, Will knew where he was - Tartarus. Even without the heat or the stench, it was enough to strike fear into Will’s heart. At least it was a dream, thank the gods. As a child of Apollo, Will had gotten prophetic dreams before, so he really hoped that that wasn’t the case either.

There had to be a reason for the dream - Will doubted he was capable of imagining something so horrifying. He looked around frantically, spotting a figure stumbling forward in the distance. Was that Nico? Will tried to force his legs to move faster, but could only continue to inch forward at a maddeningly slow pace. Still, he eventually managed to catch up with who was unmistakably Nico. The Ghost King looked seconds away from becoming a ghost himself - he was covered in blood and dirt, with cuts and scratches all over his body and a deep gash in his left leg. 

“Nico!” Will yelled, but any attempt to catch his attention was met with failure. Trying to touch him resulted in Will’s hand passing through him completely, which was so unnerving that Will gave up altogether. Was he in Nico's dream? Or had Nico somehow ended up back in Tartarus, and he was seeing that in a dream? All he knew was that Nico didn’t deserve this; he didn’t deserve any of this.

Unable to do anything, Will was forced to stand and watch; watch as Nico collapsed beside the Phlegethon, scooping out the fiery water and drinking it. He watched as Nico’s face contorted with screams Will couldn’t hear, as the cursed water burned him from the inside. He watched as Nico was ambushed and overwhelmed by monsters, all the while screaming for someone - anyone - to help him. 

It seemed like an eternity before Will finally woke up covered in cold sweat, shivering on the cold floor of the cave. It took a long time for his breathing to even and his thoughts to clear. After wiping away the tears in his eyes, his first rational thought was whether Nico was okay.

He nearly panicked when he found that he couldn’t concentrate enough to generate any light. Feeling around blindly in the pitch darkness, he somehow managed to grab hold of Nico’s arm. The sudden flood of information that overwhelmed him was worrying - Nico was clearly still in the throes of a nightmare. Shaking him didn’t work, nor did shouting his name; Will had never felt more useless. At a loss as to what to do, Will’s instincts took over. He leaned over the shivering boy, cupping his hand against his face and kissing him. Then, with all the strength he had, Will shoved a pulse of healing power directly into Nico. As though hit with a defibrillator, Nico jolted upright, his breath coming out in gasps. 

“Are you okay?” Will asked. He managed to spark a tiny, weak light, enough to see Nico’s wild, unfocused eyes and dilated pupils. “Nico, listen,” he instructed, placing Nico's hand over his chest, “breathe with me. In. Out. In. Out.”

Nico’s eyes locked onto his, a flash of recognition giving Will the confirmation he needed, He continued whispering assurances until Nico’s breathing finally matched with his, and his panic attack was over.

Will let Nico rest on his lap, waiting patiently for him to speak.

“W… were you there? In my dream?”

“I think so. It wasn’t so much a dream, but more of what had actually happened, right?”

Nico hesitated for a moment before answering, “Yeah, that was pretty much what happened. Thanks, Will. Whatever you did, it got me out of there,” he sighed, “I should have known better than to come in here - Persephone already warned me to be careful…”

“It’s not your fault,” Will assured, “We're going to be fine, okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe not so soon? It’s… difficult.” Nico admitted.

The seconds of silence that followed stretched into minutes, and what seemed to be half an hour passed, with Nico remaining where he was, nestled against Will. The warmth radiating from him, as well as the familiar scent that Will had come to associate with Nico, were comforting. He barely noticed when he started stroking his fingers through Nico’s long hair absentmindedly, but Nico seemed to enjoy it, so he didn’t stop.

It was probably a terrible time to ask the question that had been brewing on his mind for months, but Will found himself doing it anyway. “”When you broke up with me,” he started, “was it because you didn’t have any feelings for me, or because you couldn’t get over your crush on Percy?”

Nico’s heart rate picked up. “I can’t lie to you, can I?” he mumbled, “you probably already know.”

“I can tell if you’re excited or anxious, but that doesn’t mean that I can read your mind. Back then, I genuinely thought you had strung me along the entire time. It wasn’t until I saw how our breakup had affected you that I realized that wasn’t the case.”

“I don’t really know how it happened. Normal kids find one boyfriend and are perfectly fine with that. How, why did I even manage to fall for three guys? Is there something wrong with me?.” 

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you, Nico. Does Jason know?”

“I told him before we got together. While he wasn’t exactly overjoyed about it, I think he understood that I can’t change how I feel. Anyway, it’s not important...”

“When will you stop dismissing your own feelings as being unimportant?” Will cut in, “What you feel is real and valid, and I think you should talk about it instead of repressing your emotions.”

“I’m talking about it now, aren’t I?” Nico retorted defensively, “And when you ignored me for a whole month, that was because you thought I had been leading you on all the while?”

“Yeah. As I’ve already said, I’m sorry; it was a terrible thing to do. Back then, I felt so betrayed; I didn’t quite understand how one could have strong feelings for multiple people simultaneously, at least, not until I experienced it myself,” Will mused.

“Not that any of this matters - look, you’re with Percy now, and I’m dating Jason. I’m not going to do anything to betray Jason’s trust, not after all he’s done for me.” 

“Hmm, that’s true, but perhaps...”

Before Will could finish what he was saying, Nico jumped to his feet, cutting in, “Wait, I just thought of something… remember to turn on the light!” he exclaimed, “Can you make that light just a bit brighter?”

It took quite a bit of his energy, which was already running low, but Will managed to brighten his hands slightly. It was enough for Nico to pull them through the shadows and reappear outside the cave. After a moment of disorientation from the shadow traveling and sudden brightness, Will realized what was going on - all along, Nico couldn’t leave the island because of the barrier around the place, not because he couldn’t use his powers.

To their relief, it was no longer raining. Will wanted to continue their conversation, but it seemed that the moment had passed, and Nico was back to his usual self, so he decided against it. Not having much to do, they ended up lounging around on the beach and watching the sunset, until Ganymede finally appeared and rescued them.


	30. Respite (n.) a short period of rest from something difficult or unpleasant

When Will and Nico reappeared in the hotel room, everyone was far too relieved and tired to do much other than shower and go to bed. There was something off about Jason, though - he had barely talked, and eventually fell asleep facing away from Nico. Still, the day had been a rough one for all of them; perhaps Jason would explain what was going on the next day.

The next morning, Will and Nico recounted what had happened to them on the deserted island over a room service breakfast. When they got to the part where they were stuck in that cave, the blood drained from Will’s face, and he quickly glossed over what had happened, skipping to the part where Ganymede brought them back. Nico was glad; the last thing he wanted to do was recount his nightmare, not to mention it was quite embarrassing that they had spent hours in that cave when he could have easily traveled out anytime.

“So, what about the two of you? What happened?” Nico asked. Jason and Percy shared a meaningful glance, and Percy seemed to get the hint, making an excuse and pulling Will out of the room.

“Was it really so bad that you had to get them to leave?” Nico sighed, discarding the remainder of his half-eaten meal. “I’m not even sure I want to hear about it now.”

“You won’t like it,” Jason admitted, “but I need to be honest with you.” He took a deep breath, “ Cupid and Ganymede told us that you and Will would be stuck on that island until Percy and I had sex. They locked us in this room and said that you were in danger. We didn’t have a choice.” Jason informed, anguish seeping into his voice in spite of his efforts to hide it.

It took a while for the meaning of his words to sink in. Within moments Nico felt a whole range of emotions, from disbelief, to betrayal and anger, then confusion and despair. He tried to rein in his powers, but the room was already freezing cold. The terrified screams of those in the adjacent rooms filled the air, but Jason stood his ground.

“Nico, do...” Jason started to say, but Nico didn’t want to hear any more. He almost gathered the shadows to him and left, but stopped at the last minute, having remembered his oath. 

“Go,” he snapped at Jason, “Just leave. I need a while to think about this.”

With a despondent look, Jason nodded, silently leaving the room.

Nico switched off the lights and closed the blinds, crouching in a corner of the room and closing his eyes. Images of Jason and Percy sprung forth from the recesses of his mind, despite his attempts to banish them. He didn’t want to be in the room; the same room where they had… had their way with each other. He didn’t want to be trapped, unable to leave without risking some unknown magical consequence. How had everything turned out that way? Why couldn’t they just live a normal life, without relationship drama and godly intervention? In that moment, he hated the gods more than he ever had. What Ganymede and Eros (and if his suspicions were right, Hera) had done, was downright abhorrent; Nico didn’t even have words to describe how much he loathed it. 

“Nico?”

Nico hissed instinctively at the intruding figure, but that did little to deter him. 

With a click, the light flooded back into the room. What was Percy doing there? Nico didn’t really want to confide in Percy, but knowing how stubborn he could be, he probably wouldn’t leave until Nico gave up and started talking.

“Come on, Nico; screaming at Jason and then hiding in a dark room isn’t going to solve anything.” Percy chided softly.

“There isn’t anything to solve. What’s done is done, and we can’t go back in time to change it. The fact is that things will be different from now on.” 

“But we were just going through the motions to satisfy those two perverted gods...” Percy pointed out, not sounding particularly sure himself.

“If it helps you sleep better at night, keep telling yourself that,” Nico scoffed, “If that were really the case, Jason wouldn't have looked so guilty just now.”

Instead of replying, Percy joined him in sitting at the corner of the room.

“How did Will react when you told him?” Nico asked, mainly to break the awkward silence.

Percy grinned, “He said that he was envious that I got the chance to have sex with Jason. We were talking about something like this some time ago, don’t ask me why, and he joked that if I ever had the chance with Jason, he wouldn’t blame me if I took it, because I’d have to be crazy not to. I don’t think he seriously thought that it would ever happen. Still, judging from Will’s reaction just now, I think we’ll be okay.”

“That’s good, then.” Nico replied, “You know, I’m not actually mad at Jason; or you, for that matter. The two of you did what you had to. I’m mainly pissed off that the gods would so something so fucked up, and maybe a bit that you got to do something with Jason that not even I, as his boyfriend, have done yet. And also… you know what, forget it.”

Percy gave him a meaningful look, urging him to continue.

“Tell me honestly, or I’ll sic Will the lie detector on you; did you enjoy it?”

“Way more than I expected, and way more than I should.” Percy sighed. 

“That does make me feel better, because somehow I find the idea of you and Jason together really hot.” Nico admitted, “Which got me thinking, am I standing in the way of Jason’s happiness by claiming him all for myself?”

Percy laughed, “Have you even seen the way he looks at you? Nico, Jason is completely, utterly in love with you. You really have nothing to worry about. I’m certain that he is perfectly happy being with you.”

Nico wanted to believe that; he really wanted to. Yet, the seeds of doubt in his heart had already taken root, and it would probably be a long time before he could even come close to believing those words.

“Well, I’m still not done wallowing in misery, but if you want, you can go assure Jason that everything’s okay and I’m not breaking up with him,” Nico suggested.

“Sure. Before I go, though, there’s something I have to tell you. I know things haven’t been… easy… between us. There were so many times I let you down. Not just with Bianca… When you were out there all alone, I didn’t put enough of an effort into finding you. When you were in that bronze jar, the only one in the group who really stood up for you was Hazel. Or when I asked the impossible of you, to lead the group to the Doors of Death. Or when I foolishly thought you hated me, when it was actually the opposite. And even up until not long ago, when I took advantage of your feelings for me to satisfy my curiosity.” Perce took a deep breath, “Yet, you saved my life more times than I could count. When you had the idea to let me bathe in the River Styx… Or when you convinced your father to join the war… When you brought everyone to the other side of the Doors of Death… You always had my back, even when I had treated you terribly. So now, I’m making a promise to you; that I’ll do my very best to be the friend who you deserve. Happy Birthday, Nico.” He turned to the door, yelling, “Come in, Will!”

Hesitantly, Will padded in, carrying a blue birthday cake with one big candle and seven small ones. He deposited it on the table, looking at Nico, “If you want us to leave, just say so, okay? As for this, Percy thought you might appreciate the reference, but I think it was a mostly just an excuse for him to eat blue cake.”

Nico didn’t know what to say; with all that had happened, he hadn’t even realized that it was already his birthday. He hadn’t expected much more than a greeting, but for them to go to the effort of getting him a blue cake… 

“Stay, please. Oh, and tell Jason to get his ass in here, I’m not mad at him. We do need to talk, though.”

When Jason did enter the room, the expression on his face broke Nico’s heart. Nico ran forward and hugged his boyfriend tightly, trying to show that he was really okay with it, that he was not blaming Jason in any way for what had happened. “I'm sorry for how I reacted,” he whispered, but Jason shook his head, insisting that Nico’s prior response was justified. 

After two embarrassing rounds of birthday songs (they insisted on singing _Tanti auguri a te_ as well), Nico closed his eyes, blew out the candles and silently wished that their birthday celebration together that day would be the first of many.

They were all seated in a circle on the carpet, eating the surprisingly delicious cake, when Will finally got fed up and declared that they were going to quit delaying and start talking.

“We’re already talking now,” Percy pointed out.

Will rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” Nico declared, surprising everyone, including himself, “Jason, I know you’re always trying to be the perfect boyfriend to me, but it’s okay. You didn’t make a mistake this time, and even if you did, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to break up with you, okay? The gods certainly aren’t perfect either, and in case you forgot, you’re half human too.”

Jason looked like he was going to argue, but Nico wasn’t done, “Will, grab Jason for me, please.”

Will raised his eyebrows, staring at Nico for a moment before he understood what was happening, and did as instructed. “You know that I can tell if you’re lying, right?” he asked.

Jason nodded, “I had my suspicions.”

“Well, then tell me, would you ever cheat on me with Percy willingly?” Nico questioned.

“No.”

“Did you enjoy having sex with Percy?”

Jason grimaced, “I guess so? The fact that we were watched by the gods, and forced to do it, kinda detracted from the experience, though.”

“Last question; what are your feelings for Percy?”

“I don’t know.”

Will gave a nod, and Nico scooted over to kiss Jason. “There, it wasn’t hard at all, was it? I’m still here, right? You have nothing to be afraid of.”

“I’m not too sure where this dominant Nico came from, but I like him,” Will chuckled.

Realizing what he had just done, Nico couldn’t help but blush, “Sorry for doing that to you,” he murmured to Jason, “I just wanted to do what I could to reassure you.” 

“Well, we aren’t done yet,” Will said, “correct me if I’m wrong, but as far as I know, there’s been loads of sexual tension between Percy, and both of you. Shut up, Perce, I’m not accusing you of anything. Nico said that he has feelings for both of us. As for me, I am, and have always been, rather fond of Nico. Add that on to the fact that we,” he gestured to Percy and himself, “and you two,” he gestured to Jason and Nico, “are dating, and it turns out that we have a very complicated situation indeed.”

“Way to reveal everyone’s secrets like that, Sunshine,” Percy complained, “but yeah, Will does have a point. What about polyamory? I’ve heard of three or more people being in a relationship before.”

“I haven’t said anything that everyone didn’t already know,” Will deadpanned.

“W… wait,” Nico stammered, “you’re saying that we should all just… date each other? Like that?”

“It’s just a suggestion,” Percy shrugged, “If all of us don’t mind giving it a try, why not?”

“I don’t think that might really be a good idea; just because Percy and I are sexually compatible doesn’t mean a relationship would work out. Also, I don’t think Will and I are particularly interested in each other.” Jason shrugged, “I’ll admit, I really like this group thing we have going on, but I don’t think that it would be a good idea to complicate things, especially now, when our ‘lives are in peril’.”

“I… Just… How would that work?” Nico asked, puzzled, “Wait, don’t tell me. I agree with Jason, actually; the risk of it turning out badly is too high, in my opinion.”

“If that’s how you feel, then perhaps we should keep things as they are,” Will concluded, “but at least we all know where we stand,” he glanced at Jason, “and I hope this will help us to avoid conflict, instead of just making things awkward.”

“It isn’t weird unless we make it weird,” Percy chirped, “more cake?” No one took any, so he helped himself to another huge slice of the blue abomination.

Percy seemed completely done with the topic, happily scarfing down his cake, whereas Will still looked conflicted, and a bit sad. Even so, Nico didn’t know what he could do to remedy the situation; apart from being completely uncomfortable with an even more strange and unconventional relationship, he didn’t want to upset Jason with his own selfish, greedy desires.

“Well,” Jason said, “I actually got a gift for you. It’s not much; we didn’t have much time to shop, but I thought you might like it.” He took out a small, multicolored cube from his pocket and passed it to Nico.

A rubik’s cube? Nico had seen some other kids playing with something like that before, but never gotten the chance to try it out himself. “This, and the cake... it’s already way more than I’ve had in a long time. So thank you, guys. Really.” Nico carefully tucked the toy into his bag, looking away and trying to dry his eyes discreetly.

Still wanting some time to clear his head, after finishing his share of the cake, Nico took a quick walk around the block, finding a cafe where he could slowly sip a cup of hot chocolate. When he got back to their room, he found that he felt much more refreshed and calm. 

They spent the evening checking their planned path; they were already way behind schedule, and would need to set off soon. Reyna, Julien, Hazel and Frank called to wish Nico happy birthday, as did Annabeth and Piper, which resulted in all of them spending the night chatting and catching up. Percy managed to talk to Annabeth without suffering a nervous breakdown, which was a great improvement. Neither he nor Will said anything about their relationship, but from how affectionate those two were towards each other, Nico would be surprised if their friends hadn’t figured it out already. 

“Which bed did you… use?” Nico asked, looking from Jason to Percy, warily eyeing the mattress he had been about to lie on.

“That one,” Jason answered, pointing to the one Will and Percy had slept in.

Will made a grossed out face, then shrugged and climbed in anyway. 

Nico snorted, “Seriously, am I like the only one who finds it really weird? How do the two of you manage to act so normal?”

“If it helps, at this point I’m not even sure if anything can faze Percy,” Will said, to which Percy shrugged, “It’s probably because we were brought up in a more sexually liberated time. Open relationships are fairly common nowadays, especially within the gay community. Then again, Most people don’t have gods meddling with their love lives...” he mused.

“I know that everything is a mess right now, but it will still end sooner or later. Perhaps when this is all over, we can have an actual discussion and figure things out slowly. I have no clue how things will turn out, but all I know is that I don’t want to leave you guys. For now, though, how about we do this thing called ‘pretending that nothing happened’ if that’s fine with you.” Percy said, grinning at Jason.

Jason chuckled, but nodded in agreement. “Yup, let’s do that.”

“I… I don’t want to leave you… you guys as well,” Nico admitted, looking at Jason worriedly, but Jason simply grinned, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

“Aww, of course, dear Neeks, what would we do without you,” Will wailed dramatically, before dissolving into a fit of giggles. “Anyway, it’s getting late already. Good night, everyone!”

“Good night!”

Jason switched off the lights and took off his glasses, before moving back to wrap his arms around Nico, providing him with the warmth and protection that he loved. Nico couldn’t help kissing him one last time before closing his eyes. Sure, he might wonder how it would be like to date all three of them at the same time, but that shouldn't stop him from appreciating what he already had.


	31. Battle (n./v.) a lengthy and difficult conflict / struggle tenaciously to achieve or resist something

When Jason was woken up by the sounds of scuffling and whimpers, his first thought was that Percy was having a nightmare. When he delicately pulled away from Nico and stumbled over, however, he found Percy cradling Will, who was struggling in his sleep. 

“Help me,” Percy mouthed, his worried expression evident even in the dim light of the bedside lamp, “I don’t know if I should wake him up.”

Before Jason could respond, he heard Nico call out drowsily from behind, “Hold on.”

Nico grabbed Will’s twitching hand, concentrated for a moment, before declaring that his nightmare was not prophetic or god-induced, which meant that it was safe to wake him up. They did so as gently as they could, squeezing his hand and calling his name.

Will gasped, his eyes wide open in a split second. Percy’s hand stroked along his back slowly, while Nico held his hand, which helped to calm him down. Still, it still took some time for his eyes to focus.

“What happened?” Jason asked softly.

“Tartarus.” Will rasped, causing both Jason and Percy to look at him in surprise, a deep pain evident in Percy’s expression. From the way Nico looked away guiltily, Jason guessed that it had something to do with whatever had happened to them the previous day.

“It’s not your fault, Nico.” Will mumbled, apparently catching on to his reaction as well. “I’ll be fine… just give it some time.” 

“But how...” Percy questioned, brow furrowed and eyes blazing.

“Back then in that cave we were stuck in… Some kind of curse… Shared dream...” Will explained, somewhat incoherently. Nico nodded, but didn’t seem willing to provide any more details.

“Tell us how we can help, Will. In any way that we possibly can.” Nico entreated. “Do you want to go somewhere, or for me to use my powers, or if you want to take a shower, or...”

“Just stay.” was Will’s whispered plea.

Percy moved towards the edge of the bed, tugging Will along with him, so that Nico would have more space. There clearly wasn’t space for Jason, but right before he could return to his side of the room with a resigned sigh, Percy padded over, gesturing that he wanted Jason to help him join their two beds together.

Somehow, all four of them ended up cuddled together in a warm bundle, such that both Percy and Nico could provide Will with some comfort. He insisted that they leave the light on and didn’t go back to sleep immediately, instead staring at the ceiling until he finally dozed off. 

No one said anything about the fact that Jason was effectively spooning Percy, or that Will didn’t let go of Nico’s hand for the remainder of the night.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they finally set off again, Percy found it hard to believe that what was supposed to be an overnight stay had somehow lasted for three days. Three very long, very eventful days. For some reason, Nico found that he couldn’t summon his zombie driver, which frankly didn’t surprise Percy; it felt awfully like cheating to take the SUV all the way to their destination, and since when had the gods ever made their quests easy?

Jason led them to the train station, got everyone tickets and ushered them to their seat, like the group mom that he was. Percy could tell that he was tired, though; the smile that he wore seemed drained of its usual warmth, and when they finally sat down, he closed his eyes emphatically and leaned against Nico.

Percy wrapped his arms around Will, pulling the blond onto his lap and nuzzling against his neck. They watched lazily as Nico struggled with his Rubik's cube.

“Thinking about it,” Nico asked, his eyes firmly locked on the puzzle, “how are you two even a couple? Apart from your easygoing nature, there’s barely anything you two have in common.”

Jason hummed in agreement, showing that he was listening to their conversation, and not actually sleeping.

“Now that I think about it,” Percy said, “Will’s kinda like Annabeth, in a certain way. He’s got all three B’s - Blond, Brilliant, and Badass.”

“I’m not _that_ badass,” Will muttered.

“Have you even seen yourself whenever someone threatens your patients?” Percy snorted, “Either way, you’re way more than a replacement for Annabeth. You're unique in so many ways… Like how you’re always so considerate of our feelings, or how you always make sure that I’m healthy and don’t end up killing myself inadvertently, or how you go along with my silly and strange ideas;” he continued in a softer voice, “or how you understand the guilt of having someone’s life in your hands… and letting them die.”

Silence reigned for a minute as the weight of Percy’s admission sank in. Will gave him a peck on the cheek before turning to Nico.

“Percy’s such a sap, really. A total hopeless romantic. Do you know that he proposed to me with a ring pop? To ask me to be his boyfriend? It’s so adorable I couldn’t possibly have said no,” he laughed, “seriously though, we do have quite a bit in common. Like the beach, we actually spent a lot of time there, even before he became my boyfriend. Percy surfs like a champ. Oh, and he’s totally a closet geek - he likes Aquaman! Can you believe it? Of all the comic superheroes in the world… And did I mention that…”

“Hey!” Percy protested, cutting Will off from his rant, “stop revealing all my embarrassing secrets, Sunshine.”

Nico shook his wildly, “No, don’t stop, Will.” he choked out between bursts of laughter.

“And when Finding Dory finally came out on DVD, the number of times he baited me into watching it probably seared at least half of the lines into my mind. Oh, and he sings Disney songs in the shower. Stuff like ‘Colors of the Wind’ and ‘Let It Go’.”

Percy pretended to complain and tried to deny what Will was saying, but he was actually glad that the nightmare hadn’t managed to dampen Will’s spirit at all. After a few valiant attempts, they finally let Percy change the topic, resulting in the group spending the next few hours chatting casually and joking around.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey,” Will suddenly asked, halfway into their journey, “Do you hear that? It seems to be coming from outside.” He pointed out of the window, but all Nico could see were trees.

“What are you talking about?” Jason asked, sounding confused.

“Nico, can you get us out there? Just trust me,” Will insisted.

Nico nodded. After making sure that they had their bags, all four of them joined hands and sank into the shadows.

When they re-emerged, they found themselves under the shade of some trees. Will said that he could still faintly hear something, and led the group back along the train tracks. 

It was only after a few minutes of walking that Nico finally sensed the unworldly sounds that Will mentioned. It was an eerie tune, sounding too raw and natural to really constitute as music, but the crisp, clear tones could only be produced by an instrument. The group trekked deeper into the forest, walking alongside a river towards the source of the sound. Finally, they drew to a halt where the music was the loudest. There, sitting right in the middle of a clearing, illuminated by a stream of sunlight poked through the canopy, was what was making the sound. It looked like a music box fused with an old-fashioned phonograph. Despite there being no one in sight, the crank seemed to turn by itself.

“That’s the Valdezinator…” Jason murmured.

Will frowned, “The what?”

“It’s an instrument that Leo made. He gave it to Apollo, which means that this is probably a sign that we’re on the right track.” 

Percy stepped forward to pick up the device, but Nico grabbed him by the sleeve. “Wait,” he warned, “look at the way it’s sitting on a pedestal, right in the open. It has got to be a trap of some sort.”

They waited for a moment longer, before cautiously stalking towards the Valdezinator. Right before Percy could reach out to grab it, a Chihuahua stepped out from behind the pedestal, yipping at them.

“Aww..” Will gasped, stepping towards it, “such a cute puppy...”

“Shit,” Percy breathed, eyes wide open in sheer terror. “Will, run! Now!”

Will stared at him in confusion, but backed away cautiously. Before their eyes, the Chihuahua began to grow, until it had morphed into a massive creature, with a lion’s head, goat’s body, and snake’s tail. It roared at the group, spewing a jet of fire from its mouth. Before anyone could react, the Chimera wrapped its tail around Will, lifting him into the air.

“Holy Hephaestus,” Percy swore, “I was hoping I’d never see your ugly face again.” He drew Riptide and lunged forward.

Nico could see Will flailing around desperately, unable to free himself from the snake’s deadly grip. “Hold on, Will, we’re coming!” He yelled, throwing his bag down and shadow traveling to the opposite side of the Chimera. He tried to stab it with his stygian iron sword but found that it simply bounced off, not even leaving a scratch on the monster’s thick hide.

Despite the efforts of all three demigods, the Chimera seemed barely fazed. They couldn’t use the full extent of their powers in fear of hurting Will, and the frequent bursts of fire and poison kept them on their toes.

Nico dodged another jet of flames, but Jason’s luck seemed to run out as he got swiped to the side by the monster’s claws. He collided with a tree, his spear flying from his hand. Percy rushed to help, while the Chimera saw the chance to incinerate them both.

Searching desperately around him for something to distract the Chimera with, Nico found that there were no rocks or sticks that were large enough, and throwing away his sword would leave him defenseless. He tried yelling at the top of his lungs, but the monster seemed intent on killing Percy and Jason. In his state of panic, Nico threw the only thing he could find - his wallet. Surprisingly, it actually worked; the beast turned its head, incinerating the ground beneath its feet in a wide arc and turning his wallet to ashes. Oh well, it was a small sacrifice to ensure that Jason and Percy survived. Based on the pitch black color of the scorched ground and the sooty smoke rising from it, the blast would certainly have been their demise. 

Seeming to have suddenly changed its mind, the Chimera lifted Will to its mouth, preparing to devour him. Nico had mere seconds to think of a plan. The moment an idea occurred to him, he was already moving forward. Sure, it was risky, but it was all he had.

“Jason! Give me a boost! And Percy, don’t let us drown!” he yelled, running towards the Chimera.

Understanding flashed across Jason’s face; when Nico took a running leap towards the Chimera, he channeled the winds, propelling Nico upwards. It wasn’t a smooth landing; dodging spurts of acid, Nico barely managed to cling on to its back. Muttering a silent prayer to any gods that might have been listening and hoping that Percy would come through, he gathered his power and pulled the Chimera through its own shadow.

The first thought that Nico had when they emerged was, “We’re at the bottom of a river.”

The second thought was, “I’m not dead.”

He didn’t know how long the bubble Percy had made around them would last, so he hurriedly swam towards Will, extracting him from the grasp of the drowning Chimera. Will floated limply in his arms; not a good sign. Kicking with all his strength, Nico propelled them towards the surface. 

Jason and Percy were waiting to pull them out the moment they emerged. Nico reached for Will’s hand to take his pulse, but to his relief, Will groaned, flopping onto the ground weakly.

“I can’t believe that actually worked,” Percy gasped. “You’re a genius, Nico. Still, you didn’t know for sure if I could use my powers like that, right? If I had failed…”

“Let’s just not think about that,” Jason forced out through gritted teeth. He was clearly in pain - there were three wide gashes along his chest and he seemed barely able to stand. “What matters is that we’re all okay.” 

Nico quickly surveyed the condition of their group. Everyone had been burnt and scratched; Will and Jason probably had broken bones, and they were in no condition to shadow travel. They were okay, perhaps, but only barely so.

“We should really get out of here before Echidna decides to show up,” Percy added, looking around worriedly. 

“Will, can you walk?” Nico asked, “Stop healing me! Focus on yourself first!” He helped the half-conscious medic up, before turning to Percy and Jason, “My wallet got burnt to cinders, so unless any of you have enough money, we’ll need to find a place to set up camp.”

Percy groaned, flipping his hands in the air and walking off to get their bags, clearly fed up with the situation. He returned a moment later with bandages and started helping Jason clean and dress his wounds, with Will muttering instructions under his breath.

“I’m not sure how far we’ll get, seeing how badly injured these two are… I think we’ll either have to risk it and camp here, or try to get as far away as we can before resting for the night.” Percy concluded, with a subdued sigh.

“Wait,” Will mumbled, “I know somewhere we can go.”


	32. Hiraeth (n.) a homesickness for a place to which one cannot return

The group was forced to slowly trudge out of the forest; Percy carried Will on his back while Jason and Nico struggled to handle all their bags and the bulky instrument. It would have been a leisurely stroll for the demigods under normal circumstances, but with their injuries, it seemed like an eternity would pass before they even saw the first signs of suburbia. Jason did his best not to rely on Nico for support, but every step sent stabs of pain all along his midriff and chest. It was almost certain that he had a few broken bones. Nico seemed to pick on this, ducking under Jason’s arm and urging him to accept the help. 

When Will finally gestured for them to come to a halt, Jason couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, one that the others echoed.

“Okay, let me handle this, and whatever you do, don’t mention anything about demigod stuff,” Will commanded, dismounting from Percy and hobbling forward to knock on the door. The house in front of them was small and unassuming, with a neat lawn and few decorations. The white paint was peeling slightly, but the windows were clear and nearly spotless.

Jason had no doubt that the woman who opened the door was Will's mother - she appeared to be in her thirties, with the same sun-bleached blonde curls and pretty facial features as Will. Her friendly and warm smile was quickly replaced by shock as she surveyed the scene in front of her.

“William! What happened? Are you okay?” she questioned, a look of sheer horror on her face.

“Umm… Our car crashed, and we had to trek through a forest to get here,” Will explained, clearly uncomfortable with having to lie. “Mom, these are my schoolmates, Percy, Nico and Jason. Sorry that we showed up all of a sudden, but we didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Come in! What are you waiting for? Oh Will, dear, of course you and your friends are welcome here anytime. I’m just surprised, ya know. I ain’t seen you for five years, and then you suddenly show up twice in two months? If that don't beat all! Show them to your room, sweetie, I’ll see if I can make something for y'all to eat. Do you want me to get medical supplies, or do you already have some yourselves?”

“I have everything we’ll need. Give us a moment, and I’ll explain everything to you, okay?” Will replied, taking the bag of supplies from Nico. He gave her a hug, trying to hide the pain he felt when she squeezed him tightly. “It’s good to be back, mama.”

“Sorry to intrude, Ms Solace,” Jason said, grimacing and holding his arm around his chest, “we’ll be on our way soon, just need a day or two to rest…”

“Don'tcha worry about it,” she smiled, “Jason, right? And you must be Percy… and Nico? I know we’ve never met, but Will does talk about you guys a lot.”

Percy grinned at Will, who turned scarlet and stammered, “I… I do not!” before indignantly heading for his room, pulling Jason with him.

Will’s bedroom was sparse, which made sense considering that the son of Apollo rarely stayed there. Still, the walls and drapes were pale yellow, and there were posters depicting the human anatomy on the walls and a guitar in the corner, distinctly marking the room as Will’s

Will urged Jason to lie down on the bed and take off his shirt. Rummaging through his bag, he retrieved a bag of ambrosia and a water bottle, before going over to examine the severity of Jason’s wounds.

“Are you sure you should be healing me when you’re injured as well?” Jason asked. While he wasn’t visibly bleeding, Will seemed to be in pain, wincing from to time whenever he moved in a certain way.

“I’m not very good at healing myself,” Will shrugged, feeding Jason a cube of ambrosia before downing one himself, “maybe I’ll try it later.”

“Can Percy heal you if you’re both in water?”

“I’ll ask him later, okay? Now stop worrying, it’s interfering with my work,” the medic grumbled. He placed his hands on Jason’s chest, gliding them around while he hummed softly. Will always did have a nice singing voice; smooth and melodic. Jason wished he would sing more. Every time Jason received a healing from Will, it always felt like a surge of warmth and comfort settling over him, like a blanket on a winter’s day. He almost complained when it stopped, then immediately felt bad for being so selfish - Will was clearly already pushing himself to his limit.

“How does your mom not know that your father is Apollo?” he asked instead. Gods had a tendency to prefer clear-sighted mortals, and it was nearly impossible to raise a demigod child without running into monsters at some point in time.

“It’s complicated,” Will sighed, “she’s a staunch Christian, and vehemently opposes anything that goes against her religion. Dad simply never bothered to tell her, and I can’t convince her now. Trust me, I tried. It wasn’t pretty.”

“Is that the reason why you couldn’t visit all those years?”

“Not really. Chiron was actually able to set up all the official documents to make it seem like I’m going to some boarding school in New York; the mist did the rest. The real reason why I couldn’t come back is that if a monster attacked, there would be no way I could even defend myself, let alone protect her. It wasn’t until last year, when the monster attacks lessened, that I decided to take the risk.”

Jason knew that Will had stopped with the healing some time ago. Instead, he was sitting on the bed, facing away such that all Jason could see were freckles on the back of his neck. From the way his shoulders heaved, it wasn’t hard to tell that he was sobbing silently. Jason struggled to figure if he should make an attempt to comfort Will, or give him some privacy.

“It’s difficult...” Will sniffed, “I was only a ten-year-old boy, terrified of this vast world I had stumbled upon, and all I wanted to do was for my mother to tell me that everything would be okay… I missed her so much. Hell, I even missed this crappy town. I wish I could be like Percy, or any one of those campers who would go back home once the summer ended...” he took a deep, unsteady breath, “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, it’s ridiculous for me to complain, when you probably had it much worse. I’m sorry.”

Jason didn’t feel like he had it worse - ever since he had faced the _mania_ of his mother, he had lost all hope of ever seeing her again. It had hurt, but at least he had closure. It had to be unimaginably painful, having a loving parent but being unable to have a close relationship with her.

“Don’t be sorry, Will, I’m glad that you trust me enough to share how you feel. Think about it, though, you do have a family; all your brothers and sisters clearly adore you, and care for you, right?” Jason tugged at Will carefully, turning him around so he could look into his cyan eyes, wiping a stray tear off his cheek. “You’ve got us, and we’re not leaving you whether you like it or not. From now on, whenever you want to come back to see your mom, just tell us, and we’ll be glad to accompany you.”

Only after he had finished what he was saying did Jason realize that he hadn’t even made a distinction between Percy, who was Will’s _boyfriend_ , and Nico and himself.

Will didn’t seem to notice; hugging Jason tightly and mumbling ‘thanks’. 

“I should be the one saying thanks, Sunshine. Feels much better now. You should have told us earlier that your hugs were magical,” Jason joked.

In response, Will let out a sound that could have been either a sob or a laugh.

“Stay here, okay? I’ll get Percy to come over.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three broken ribs. Lacerations around his waist. Contusions pretty much all over his body. Burns on his arms. Will wasn’t sure how much the mist had obscured his wounds, but it had to be a miracle that his mother hadn’t panicked and called for an ambulance. It didn’t help that he had drained almost all his energy healing Jason, which meant that there was no way he would be able to heal himself. Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to regret doing that.

“Hey,” Percy called, appearing in the doorway and peering at Will with a worried expression, “let’s get into the bathroom and I’ll see what I can do, okay?”

Will nodded, letting himself be picked up and carried to the other side of his room. He didn’t even protest when Percy started undressing him, placing his trust in his boyfriend to be gentle.

“What were you and Nico doing downstairs?” Will asked, simply to distract himself from the pain.

“I asked your mom if she could make us fried chicken, and we were helping her prepare the ingredients.”

Will chuckled, wincing as his ribs protested, “I’m not sure if I should be offended or amazed; as stereotypical as that was, my mom does make the _best_ fried chicken.”

Knowing the question that had to be on Percy’s mind, he explained the situation, and the reason they had no choice but to lie to his mother. Thanks to Jason’s earlier reassurance, he managed to get through the whole spiel without breaking down. Percy listened patiently, combing his fingers through Will’s hair soothingly as they waited for the bathtub to fill.

“Jason is right you know; we will be glad to travel with you whenever you want to come back here. All you need to do is tell us. Anyway, the water should be warm enough now.” He helped Will take his shirt off and get into the tub, making sure he was mostly submerged. “I’ve never tried this before, so tell me how you’re feeling, okay?”

A moment later, Will could feel Percy’s power radiating into him. It was unlike anything he had experienced before; when his siblings used their powers on him, it usually felt warm and light, like standing in the sun. The water felt cool and refreshing, and he felt a slight tingle whenever Percy’s fingertips grazed his skin. 

“Feels weird,” he breathed, “but I think it’s working.”

Percy hummed, deep in concentration. Will tried not to hiss as he felt his skin mending and bones fusing back together. When the flow of power slowed to a trickle, he moved Percy’s hands away, clumsily flopping out of the tub.

“I’m not...” Percy protested.

Will shook his head insistently, “I’ll be fine. Don’t strain yourself too much.”

He almost started crying again when Percy tried to stand up, legs trembling, and nearly fell over. “I’m so sorry that I drained your energy being useless like always,” he wailed, helping Percy up before reaching for a towel.

“Will... Don’t say that!”

“Why not? It’s true! I was the one who got caught by the Chimera, and all I could do was flail my arms around while you guys got injured trying to save me. I couldn’t even visit my mom because I would become monster food without someone to protect me. I’m supposed to be a healer, yet I can’t even heal myself when I need to. You don’t need to spare my feelings, Perce. I’ve accepted it long ago.” Will replied bitterly, stalking out of the bathroom to find something to wear, leaving Percy to trail after him.

“No… I’m not having it. You think I’ll just let you degrade yourself like that?” Percy snapped indignantly, looking so angry that Will felt terrified for a moment. 

“Percy...”

“How could ever, for a single moment, think that you’re useless? You aren’t defined by your power, Will, or your ability to fight. Who was the one who made all of us get off that train and found the Valdezi-thingy? Who was the one who healed Jason from half dead to completely healthy? More than that, who’s the one perceptive enough to notice all the tiny details and help us sort through our emotional drama? Accepting help doesn’t make you weak, Will. You all were the ones who taught me that, so let us help you, okay?”

Those were the very words Nico said that to Percy, what seemed like a lifetime ago. The familiarity sobered Will, and made him realize that he was being unfair to Percy, not to mention inordinately hypocritical. He had no right to dump all his emotional baggage on his boyfriend, who had been nothing but caring, especially when said boyfriend could barely stand. After he had broken down in front Jason, he had thought that he had gotten all the angst out of his system; clearly, that hadn’t been the case. 

“I’m sorry, Perce - I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it’s because I’m back in this house; it’s making me feel high-strung… No, that’s just an excuse… You don’t deserve to hear any of that crap.” he sighed.

“No, it’s a good thing that you told me. I had no clue that you felt that way... Was that why you were asking if I wanted to date Jason or Nico, apart from just you?” Percy frowned, the pain in his expression evident, “Will, you are enough. You’ll always be enough. From now on, I promise I’ll do my hardest to show you just how important you are to me… to everyone who cares about you.” Percy flopped onto the bed, pulling Will along with him. Will leaned in, kissing his boyfriend tentatively, trying to show his gratitude. It felt like he was made of glass, only a word away from shattering, so he was glad that Percy held him with utmost care, radiating a sense of calm which helped to comfort and reassure him.

“I love you.” Percy said it so easily and confidently, like it was the hundredth time, and not the first time, that he had uttered the special phrase. Will knew, without a doubt, that he meant every word.

“I love you too.”


	33. Maturation (n.)  the process of becoming more developed mentally or emotionally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically 90% porn. You have been warned.

“So, what led y’all to take a road trip in… January? This better be school sanctioned…” Naomi asked.

So much for enjoying a nice, worry-free breakfast - from her expression, Will could tell that she was already preparing an interrogation. He felt four pairs of eyes on him, but before he could respond, Nico replied, “We managed to get special permission for a Geography project; on this field trip, we intend to collect samples of Permian Sedimentary, Cambrian Sedimentary, and Precambrian Igneous and Metamorphic rocks, all of which occur naturally in Texas. We were hoping to travel all the way to Llano County for that, actually.” He smiled sweetly, and Will swore he had his fingers crossed behind his back. Will had to repress a laugh - he knew that Nico had the ability of geokinesis, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he was actually such a rock nerd.

Thankfully, Will’s mother bought the ruse, asking questions about their supposed trip and chatting with Nico. 

“Hmmm, you know something funny happened yesterday; I saw a boy at the grocery store who was a spitting image of Will. I was fixin’ to go up to him and scold him for not telling his ol’ ma that he was in town before I realized he wasn’t you,” Naomi laughed.

Will grinned at Percy and Jason, who had also perked up at the clue, but his mother had already moved on to a different topic, so he tuned out of the conversation to concentrate wholeheartedly on his food. Even though the camp did magically serve anything he could imagine, the _huevos rancheros_ there never did taste quite the same. 

“Will?”

“Wha.. What?” he asked, staring blankly at his mom.

“I was just sayin’, when were ya planning to introduce your boyfriends to me?”

“My… boyfriends?” Will stammered, as Percy choked on his orange juice.

“Bless your heart, darlin, it’s clear as day that you’re together, did you seriously not expect me to figure out? All of you just _had_ to share a bed, even though the couch is right there. Not to mention Jason and you were doing God knows what in your room, and you took a bath with Percy. It’s okay, Will. I can see the love that you have for each other… and while I can’t claim to understand your situation, it’s clear that all of you care deeply for each other.” She turned to the others with a genuine smile, “Thank you for taking care of Will when I wasn’t able to.”

Nico turned beet red, spluttering in embarrassment, and glaring at Will, who simply shrugged.

Percy, on the other hand, looked conflicted; as if he didn’t know whether to be proud or infuriated. 

Naomi looked as if she had more to add, but her phone’s alarm rang, “I’ve gotta go, or I’ll be late for work. Have fun, boys, we’ll talk about this later!” she grabbed her handbag, checked her appearance in the hallway mirror before rushing out of the house, leaving four very confused demigods staring at each other.

“So...” Percy started, looking at Will apprehensively.

“We pretend that that never happened,” Nico declared, hiding his reddening face in his hands.

“Are you going to tell her the truth, though? You’re not out to her yet, right?” Jason asked, “By the way Percy, Will was just healing me yesterday, which just so happened to require close contact while on the bed, and me having my shirt off. Chill, bro.”

“I wasn’t...”

“You were glaring at him, Perce. Anyway, when she gets back, I’ll just tell her that I’m gay, and that Percy is the one who I’m dating, and that the two of you are together, if that’s okay?” Seeing as no one disagreed, Will decided to spare them all the awkwardness and change the topic. ”So, we should be moving out soon. What Mom said just now was pretty much the best clue we’ve had since we started this quest, so we should check it out while we can. How about we split into pairs, I’ll try to see if I can sense my Dad’s energy signature, while the other two can take a look around the supermarket. Who’s coming with me?”

Percy grinned, leaping out of his seat, ”You aren’t gonna get away from me so easily, Sunshine!”

“We’ll I.M. if we need help or find something, if not, just meet back here for dinner later!” Will called out to the others, right before Percy tugged him through the door.

“So, where do you want to start searching?” Percy asked. 

Will shrugged, “Let’s just take a walk around the area - I’ll see if I can pick up anything.” As they strolled aimlessly, Will pointed out the things he could remember and recounted his memories - the playground where he used to play with the neighborhood kids, the elementary school he used to hate going to, the cinema his mother used to bring him to on weekends, the park where he had encountered his first monster attack… It was amazing how little the town had changed; and how much he had.

After the monster attack, Will had gone out of his way to avoid that particular park, but somehow, he felt safe with Percy around. They found a bench to sit on, sharing a comfortable silence as they amusedly watched the ducks in the pond flounder about. 

“Hey Will,” Percy asked, “do you think the that four of us are weirdly close, for friends? I mean, even your mother thinks that we’re in the relationship and she has known us for less than a day.”

“It is unusual, but if we’re all okay with it, who cares what others think? I believe that as long as we’re open and honest with each other, things will turn out alright.” Will didn’t miss the tension in Percy slowly lessening. “Were you really so worried about this? We don’t have to fit into society’s rigid definition of what friends, or couples should do - just follow your heart,” he concluded, offering his boyfriend a warm smile. 

“Thanks,” Percy muttered, leaning against Will’s shoulder, “I’ll trust you.”

“Anyway, I can’t sense anything. We could go back, I guess, unless you want to walk around some more?”

“Can we get food first?”

“I know a place with great chicken fried steak,” Will suggested, laughing. With how much Percy ate on a daily basis, it was a miracle that he could maintain his physique - not that Will was complaining. They had lunch before heading back to Will’s place, which was unsurprisingly empty.

“We have the place to ourselves,” Percy murmured, kissing Will and trying to slip his hand under his shirt.

“Wait, the others might come back at any time,” Will protested halfheartedly, shoving him away. They were still standing in the doorway, so he hoped none of his neighbors happened to be outside to witness the scene.

“Your room then,” Percy replied, shutting the door and leading him there before Will could even answer. He pushed Will onto the bed, leaning over him and helping him tug his shirt off. “We're not going too fast, right?”

Will shook his head. “Check the side pocket of my backpack.” Percy opened the pocket, a grin spreading over his face when he spotted the condoms and lube.

“You were prepared, weren’t you?” He quipped.

Will scoffed indignantly, “I’m a medic, I’m always prepared. Come on, Perce, don't make me wait all day. ”

“Are you sure?”

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this,” Will admitted. From the unnaturally high levels of adrenaline coursing through Percy’s system, he could tell that Percy was just as anxious as he was.

Having obtained the consent he needed, Percy ripped Will’s shirt off, stroking over his smooth skin almost reverently. “One of these days I’m going to count all these freckles,” he promised, causing Will to blush. He then dove for Will’s nipples, licking and sucking each bead intently, causing them to harden.

“Percyyyyyy...” Will whined, looking down at him desperately, “Quit being such a tease.”

“We have all the time in the world, Sunshine,” Percy assured, licking and kissing down Will’s stomach, before finally fulfilling his request and pulling his pants off.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Percy eyed Will’s length hungrily, giving him a predatory smirk. He licked around the tip, and without warning, swallowed down as much as he could. The moan that that elicited from Will was music to his ears. He set up a rhythm, going down a couple of times before pulling back and flicking his tongue over the slit, using his hand to stroke the part of Will’s shaft that he couldn’t fit into his mouth. With his other hand, he stroked down Will’s thighs, then nudged at his entrance. Apart from the one time in his cabin, he hadn’t gotten to do anything of the sexual nature with Will; they had been far too busy with the quest and concerned with their own survival. It was a pity - he loved watching Will come apart from his ministrations.

Right when Percy was starting to get into the groove, Will tugged at his hair, sliding his dick out with an obscene pop.

“If you don’t stop soon, I’m going to…” he trailed off, looking away with a flustered expression.

“Ohh...” Percy smirked, grabbing the lube and coating his fingers in a generous, slick layer. He probed at Will’s entrance tentatively, before slipping his index finger in. Even with just one finger, Will felt so tight; he wondered how he’d ever fit in there.

“Tell me how I should be doing this,” he said to Will. It was his first time, after all.

“You’re doing fine… Actually, take off your shirt and let me enjoy the view,” Will smiled deviously.

Percy complied, and the heat in Will’s gaze made his cock to throb.

“Another.” Will demanded.

Percy inserted another finger, scissoring them to stretch Will out more. He then curled them, which apparently hit Will’s sweet spot, seeing as he whimpered and jerked forward. Percy repeated the motion, then added another finger while Will was distracted. He continued fingering Will for a couple more minutes before Will declared that he was ready.

“I’m not sure,” Percy mused deliberately, “It wouldn’t be good to go too fast and hurt you accidentally…”

“Just shut up and fuck me, Perce. Please!”

Percy decided that he had tortured his boyfriend enough as it was; he coated his dick in a layer of lube before thrusting into Will. Their earlier preparation must have been sufficient; thankfully, there was no trace of pain on his pretty face. No amount of preparation could have readied Percy for the overwhelming heat and tightness, and the way that Will stared at him with glazed eyes, panting lightly. He was starting to worry that he wouldn’t last long enough.

Slowly, he pulled out halfway, before thrusting in again, trying to find Will’s prostate. Maybe if... he pulled Will’s leg up to rest on his shoulder, providing them with a better angle. This time, he managed to get Will to gasp loudly and rut back against him.

“Faster!” Will demanded, all semblance of restraint long lost in the throes of pleasure. 

Percy obliged, also taking the chance to lean down and kiss him deeply and languidly. He could feel the tension build up, driving him to speed up and lose control. Despite his best efforts to hold back, trembling from the effort, he eventually gave up, slamming into Will with renewed vigor.

With a sudden gasp, Will came, moaning Percy’s name loudly. The sight drove Percy over the edge as well, causing him to spill into Will and nearly white out from bliss.

After a few moments to recollect the shards of his psyche, Percy pulled out unwillingly, before heading to the bathroom to find a cloth to wipe away the mess. He settled on the bed beside Will, touching their foreheads together and staring into Will’s eyes. 

“That was… intense...” Will muttered, “...felt so good. Since when did you like teasing me so much, Perce? And to think I went to the trouble of getting you blue condoms and you didn’t even use them.”

“Oh gods, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even realize...” Percy started to say, but Will simply chuckled at his panicked state.

“Don’t worry; if I really wanted to use them, I would have stopped you. We’re both free of any STDs, and it’s not like I can get pregnant. Now stop worrying and cuddle me, you know you want to.”

Will sighed contentedly when Percy wrapped his arms around him, drifting off after only a few minutes. Percy wasn’t as tired, so he ran his hands through his boyfriend’s blonde curls, admiring his serene expression as he slept.


	34. Sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as one’s own.

The town was idyllic, so far removed from the hustle and bustle of New York. The air was crisp and just a bit chilly, but the first wildflowers were already beginning to bloom. They took their time heading to their destination, watching as the locals went about their daily activities around the town square.

As Jason expected, they didn't find anything out of the ordinary at the grocery store. At least, he had been able to buy a can of Pepsi and a packet of chips. (Nico had just stared him in disgust, before getting a six-pack of Coke for himself and the other two.) 

“We don’t have much to go by, except that we’re searching for someone who looks like Will… Maybe we should bring Will around and ask people if they’ve seen his brother? Would that work?” Nico thought for a moment, then facepalmed, “We shouldn’t have let Will go wandering around the town; if no one had seen him yet, we could just show people a picture of him and ask if they have seen him - if they say yes, it means they must have seen the guy Will’s mom was talking about!”

“That’s still a really good idea!” Jason exclaimed, “We could still do that; he and Percy probably haven’t been to this area yet.”

Nico sighed, “I don’t think we have any pictures, though.”

Feeling his face burning, Jason took out the photograph from his wallet, passed it to Nico and looked away pointedly. The picture was one of the polaroids that Sally Jackson had taken back in November. She had given them a whole bunch of pictures, but Jason liked the one when they had just returned from ice skating; all of them were drenched and exhausted, but they were _glowing_ , especially Will, who had one arm draped over Nico and the other around Percy, while Jason peeked over his shoulder. Even Percy, who had been miserable after Annabeth had broken up with him, had managed a grin.

“Oh,” Nico took the photograph from Jason cautiously, a soft smile brightening his face, “this is exactly what we need.”

Thankfully, he didn’t comment on the fact that Jason treasured the shard of memory enough to carry it around with him at all times.

The duo went around asking if anyone had seen ‘Will’, but only a few said that they had. Most of them mentioned that they saw him with Percy, and the rest didn’t have much information to offer.

“This isn’t working,” Jason groaned in frustration, “Let’s take a break.”

They found a Subway a couple of blocks away, which Nico seemed to like. Something about the sheer variety of choices both confused and delighted him.

“We’re enjoying this way too much,” Jason declared, munching on his sandwich contentedly, “I don’t remember any of the quests I’ve been on in the past being as relaxed as this; we have a place to stay, food to eat, and we aren’t in any particular hurry as well. It’s unsettling.”

“Did you forget what happened back in Virginia?” That was terrible. Or when we had to fight that chimera? We nearly died! It hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park; after all of that, I’d say we deserve a break. You deserve a break, Jason.”

Nico did have a point - all his life, Jason had been the responsible one; the leader. So much of his existence had been consumed by work and his obligations that he actually felt uneasy when things were simpler. Even in Camp Half-Blood, he busied himself with arrangements, building shrines and flying back and forth between the two camps to plan things like the exchange program. Perhaps he owed it to himself to live life for once, and just enjoy the present.

“Hmm, maybe the reason why I feel so happy is that I get to be with you,” he grinned, “No matter how tough things are, the fact that you’re here makes it so much better.”

Nico looked down to take a sip from his drink, but it didn’t hide how adorably flustered he looked. “Quit being such a sap,” he grumbled, but he then glanced around furtively before leaning forward and kissing Jason. It was brief and chaste, but left Jason’s lips tingling nonetheless.

After that, they switched to less serious topics of conversation, such as guessing what Percy and Will were up to; Jason figured that since they had yet to receive any news, Will probably hadn’t found anything yet, and knowing Percy’s patience (or lack thereof), they were back at the house doing gods know what. Nico rolled his eyes and turned his attention to whatever was outside the window. 

“Hey,” Nico said, after a momentary lapse in conversation, “If you don’t mind waiting for a while, I’m going to buy the man over there something to eat - he looks like he’s really hungry.”

Jason nodded, handing over his wallet. He watched as Nico managed (with some difficulty) to choose an order, bringing the food to the unkempt man sitting on the pavement across the street. Instead of handing over the sandwich and going back like Jason expected him to do, Nico took a seat beside the old man, keeping him company as he ate.

That was one thing about Nico that never failed to amaze Jason - his boundless compassion. He tended to seek out the outcasts, the ones who were marginalized by society, doing his best to offer them a modicum of comfort. The poignant truth, from what Jason gathered, was that Nico knew exactly how they felt, which explained why he felt an urge to help in any way he could.

Ten minutes later, Nico suddenly leaped up and rushed back into the restaurant, gesturing at Jason excitedly. “I found him!” he exclaimed, waving a scrap of paper, “Tom told me that a boy who looks very similar to Will moved to this town a few months ago. He stays as a live-in housekeeper for a reclusive author; apart from grocery shopping, he usually does not spend much time outside. I even got an address!”

“Wow, how does he know so much?” Jason asked, taking the paper and examining the address scrawled on it.

“Well, when you’re homeless, you don’t really have much to do but observe the lives of those around you, apparently. I don’t think either of us would have any idea where this place is; we should probably ask Will.” Nico suggested.

Jason nodded, leading the way to a deserted alley where he could set up a rainbow to make an Iris Message.

When the image appeared, Jason realized just how accurate his earlier guess was; Will and Percy were on the bed, both very much naked. All four of them stared at one another for a while, too shocked to move, before Will finally came to his senses and threw the blanket over them.

Percy was the one who broke the silence, “Did you manage to find any information?” he asked, ignoring the elephant in the room but still looking unnerved.

Nico reluctantly dropped his hands that were covering his face. “We found an address where Apollo might be, and we need Will’s help to find out where it is.”

“As you can see, we’re at Will’s place,” Percy stated, rather unnecessarily, “Why don’t you two head back here, and we can set out together.”

“Okay,” Jason replied, swiping his hand through the image, glad to terminate the call.

“Not a word.” Nico groaned, stalking off in what Jason knew was the wrong direction, his face still scarlet.

Jason followed silently, not correcting him just yet - best to give Percy and Will a bit more time so that they would be fully dressed by the time they got back.


	35. Garrulous (adj.)  excessively or tiresomely talkative

“So, this is the place,” Percy mused, “doesn’t seem particularly special, does it?”

Will found himself agreeing; the residence in front of them seemed more like a cottage, hidden away on the outskirts of town and surrounded by a lush herb garden. It had taken them quite some time to find the place, during which Jason couldn’t resist teasing Percy a bit. To his credit, Percy had simply shrugged it off by saying “We’re boyfriends. We can do what we want,” and that had been it. Will had been too mortified to comment.

“We should check if there’s anyone home,” Jason suggested, leading the way to the porch and knocking on the door.

“Just a moment!” A voice called out faintly from inside. Will heard a series of clicks that sounded like locks being opened, before the door finally opened to reveal a boy around his age. It was like looking in a mirror - they had the same wavy blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and freckle-dotted face, but the boy’s prideful smirk wasn’t anything like Will’s normal expression. Before Will could process what was going on, he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug.

“Dad?” he croaked, gingerly returning the hug.

“The one and only,” Apollo cheerily replied, already moving on to enthusiastically greet the others. “Jason Grace! I heard that you defended me in front of Father and all the other gods. Brave, but foolish. Nevertheless, thank you, brother.” He patted Jason on the back, and gave Percy a fistbump before advancing on Nico. “Oh, little Nico… My, how you've grown since the last time we met. Such a ravishing young man...” He tried to grab Nico, who glowered and reached for his sword. Apollo simply chuckled good-naturedly, backing out of his personal space.

“So, what brings you to my humble abode? Did her holy bitchiness send you?”

When it became apparent that a cow wasn’t going to fall from the sky and crush the god-turned-mortal for his irreverent comment, Will nodded slowly.

“Well, when I got smacked down from Olympus into the mortal world, I found myself not far away from this town. At first, the reason why I came here was that I wanted to find your mother, but then I realized that there’s no way she would believe that I’m the same guy that she met seventeen years ago. Then, one of Athena’s daughters found and claimed me. Megan’s a lovely lady and a brilliant author, but she hates leaving the house. So I get her groceries and do her chores, and in return, I get a place to stay. Not half bad, if I do say so myself,” Apollo grinned, gesturing to the house behind him.

“So you just… stayed here? Don’t you want to be a god again?” Percy questioned.

“A god? Of course I want to be a god. Look at this!” He pulled up his shirt; like Will, he had a flat stomach, but only a faint hint of abs. “What happened to my lovely eight pack? And worst of all, I don’t have an Apollo’s belt. It’s named after me, and I don’t even have it! Simply unacceptable. Plus, I have to deal with zits. I don’t know how you guys survive - being a teenager sucks.”

Nico cleared his throat loudly, giving Will a look that conveyed that he was in agony.

“Oh yeah, Daddykins isn’t going to let me off that easily this time. Unless I regain the power of prophecy by getting rid of Python, there’s no way he’s going to reinstate my godhood.”

Percy groaned, “Slaying what is probably the largest snake in existence was _not_ part of our quest scope.”

“Who said anything about slaying?” Apollo laughed, “It gave me a run for my money even when I had my full godly powers, so we definitely can't slay it with me de-powered. Megan and I concocted a plan that we think will work. Python is still a snake, and snakes can be charmed with music. Now, if only I had my Valdezinator...”

“That’s convenient,” Will snorted, “We found that thing yesterday. Almost got killed in the process.”

“Sweet!” Apollo whooped, “The part about finding it, I mean.” He stuck his head into the house, “Megan! I’ve found my ticket out of this place!”

A middle-aged woman plodded out, peering at the group critically. “Bah, heroes… A bunch of insufferable men. Whatever, I don’t care either way. I, Megan Lim, hereby release you, Lester Papadopoulos, otherwise known as Apollo, god of the sun, archery, music, and a bunch of other useless crap, from my service. Go find your snake or whatever. I’m going back to my writing.” She flipped her steely-gray hair in scorn, stomping back in.

“Don’t mind her, she’s just bitter because she’s old, single and didn’t manage to snag a hero back in her youth. Now, how about you guys give me some time to pack? You go pack up your stuff too, we’re leaving tomorrow morning. I expect to see you at six o’clock sharp, with the Valdezinator. Later, sexy!” He blew a kiss at Nico before vanishing back into the cottage and shutting the door.

“What just happened?” Jason asked, incredulous.

Will shrugged, “Don’t ask me, he’s not usually this terrible when he’s in his god form. Arguably.”

“Well, remind me to never again say that you’re talkative, Will,” Percy shuddered, “Compared to him, you’re absolutely delightful.

“Whatever, Perce,” Will grumbled, gently pushing Nico, who still seemed to be in shock. “C’mon Deathboy, we have packing to do. And a conversation with my mom that I’m so not looking forward to.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the group arrived at the cottage the next morning, having bade farewell to Naomi Solace, Apollo was already waiting for them. He leaped up from where he was sitting on the patio, struggling to carry his suitcase and a few other bags with him. 

“Why do you even need so much stuff? We’re not going on a vacation, you know.” Jason asked, reluctantly taking hold of the bag Apollo thrust at him.

“This is my combat ukelele, and this is my bow, arrows, and quiver, and this is my medkit. I’m not going to travel without them.” Apollo stated. “Also, even though I’m no longer a god, it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop being fashionable.”

Will sighed, holding up the Valdezinator, which he had been carrying. “Is this the thing you wanted?” 

Apollo grabbed the instrument from him, stroking over its surface like it was his long-lost child. He turned the crank, and a sound that reminded Will of a cat being tortured emanated from the instrument. “Just a moment,” Apollo said, fiddling with it before trying again. This time, the sound that came out was reminiscent of a motorcycle being started. “Perfect!” The Olympian exclaimed, beaming at them while they stared at him with confused expressions. 

“Snakes can’t hear,” he explained, “they don’t have ears, but they can sense vibrations through the ground and air. This might not sound like much to you, but it’s music to them.”

“Whatever,” Percy shrugged, “As long as it works. Where are we going?”

“Python is most likely hiding in the Caverns of Sonora, based on the research I did,” Megan replied, emerging from the cottage. “I even took the liberty of getting you transport. Go get your godhood back, Lester,” she gave Apollo a hug, “I’ll miss having someone to boss around. Come back and visit sometime, will ya?”

Apollo nodded, kissing her cheek before leading the group to the minivan parked down the road. The driver, who seemed to be a mortal, gave them a puzzled stare but nevertheless helped them load up their bags before driving off.

Instead of sitting in front like they expected him too, Apollo squeezed in beside Nico, offering him a lascivious smirk. “You look cute today; but you always do, Nico; go out with me please?”

A haiku? Did Apollo’s insufferability know no bounds? “Stop flirting with him!” Will snapped, right as Nico complained, “Stop flirting with me!”

Apollo smirked, looking like a cat that had just found out where the cream was stored. “Ahhh, so _you_ are the one whom my son is dating... I was wondering who that was.”

Nico immediately turned scarlet, “No, I’m with Jason. So please stop trying to get me to date you. Plus, you’re thousands of years older than me, it’s just weird.”

“Wait,” Will asked, “How did you know that I’m dating someone?”

Apollo smiled conspiratorially, “From the way you were walking yesterday. I could tell you still felt sore… I guess you won’t want me to elaborate. When all of this is over, I’ll have a little chat with Percy. He’s the one you’re dating, right?”

Will nodded, too embarrassed to utter a single word.

“Anyway, if it makes you that uncomfortable, I’ll stop flirting with you, Nico.” Apollo faked a yawn, “You mortals and your monogamy. Boring.” 

Nico seemed relieved, and at the very least, Jason seemed less tempted to murder his half-brother. Percy looked at Will uncertainly, probably wondering if Apollo was really going to give him a shovel talk, to which Will could only shrug. 

The rest of the journey to the caves was marked by a tense silence. Percy attempted to crack a joke or two, but quickly gave up when he realized that they just weren’t in the mood for it. Will squeezed his hand, which seemed to reassure him, but when it came to himself, Will still couldn’t shake off the sense of impending doom.


	36. Canorous (adj.) a song or speech that is melodious or resonant

Nico wasn’t sure what to expect when they finally reached the Caves of Sonora, but what they found was much worse than he imagined. In front of them was an army of monsters - everything from stymphalian birds to _empousai_ , and even a couple of cyclopes. 

“And that’s why I needed you guys,” Apollo stated grimly. “To clear a path to the entrance.” 

“They knew we were coming,” Jason hissed, scanning the horde warily, “We don’t have the element of surprise. I suppose the best course of action is for Nico and Percy to distract them while I drop you two in.”

Thankfully, Nico was able to locate more than enough skeletons to raise. His cue was when Percy ran straight towards the monsters, waving his sword and yelling “Come get me!” Concentrating on the multiple points underground where there were bones, he pushed up with his powers. Almost immediately, skeletons began rising out of the ground, shrugging off sand and charging at their nearest enemy.

Nico watched as Jason, with the help of the winds, lifted Apollo and Will, flying towards the cave. Will was armed with the Valdezinator, while Apollo clutched a wicker basket and had a bow and quiver slung over his back. A _Scythian dracaena_ came at Nico with a spear, which meant that he barely had the time to seal the entrance of the cave after Apollo and Will entered.

Jason joined the fray, blasting the _dracaena_ with lightning before flying over to assist Percy, who was at a disadvantage since he was not in his domain. He seemed to make up for it with skilled swordplay, though.

The part of Nico’s brain that was not wholly focused on staying alive was worried for the two who had gone into the cave. Will could generate light and Apollo was decent with a bow, but even if they were lucky enough not to encounter any foes on their way down, Python was still a formidable opponent. Still, there wasn’t much he could do apart from hoping for the best.

He tumbled backward to avoid the swinging club of a cyclops, and ended up back to back with Percy. Jason hovered above them, occasionally shouting warnings or darting down to strike something. It was a rather effective way of fighting - they could watch each other’s backs and help out if need be.

Slowly but surely, the throngs of monsters that surrounded them began thinning. A rhythmic humming noise started emanating from the recesses of the cave, serving as a background track to the carnage as they turned creatures to dust. When Nico slammed a pillar of obsidian into a Laistrygonian Giant, sending it reeling back into Percy’s sword, he was glad to find that there were no other enemies in sight.

“We did it!” Percy yelled, capping Riptide and returning it to his pocket.

Nico smiled weakly, but when he glanced at Jason, he realized that they had let their guard down too soon. There was a wild, aggressive and entirely foreign look in his icy eyes. 

Before Nico could react, ‘Jason’ was already rushing towards him, weapon drawn and ready. Despite his brain screaming for him to raise his sword, or move away, Nico’s body didn’t react. He stood there, paralyzed by shock, unable to defend himself. 

For a single, terrifying second, Nico realized he was going to die. The blade would pass straight through his heart, and he would be in his father’s realm. That never happened. At the last possible moment, Percy stepped in front of him, protecting Nico with his own body.

There was an earsplitting shriek the moment that the gladius pierced through Percy, but it took a moment for Nico to realize that he had been the one screaming. Percy stared down at the weapon lodged in his body in disbelief, before toppling over and collapsing to the ground, blood already seeping from the wound.

The waves of glacial rage emanating from Nico seemed to scare the _eidolon_ , which left Jason’s body only to be immediately sliced into dust by his stygian iron blade. 

Jason stumbled forward, regaining control of his limbs and blearily taking in the gruesome scene in front of him. “Perce… I’m sorry…”

“He’s _dying_!” Nico snapped, “Save your apologies for when we save him. Go get Will and Apollo, now!” Crouching beside Percy, he tried in vain to stop his life force from fading away. Nico didn’t look up, but the gust of wind was a clear enough indication that Jason had taken off.

The seconds ticked by, each seeming to last for an eternity. Percy had passed out some time ago, and the thought that he could never wake up again was indescribably painful. Nico could only hope that Will would be able to save him. If he failed, then… Nico was prepared to use his last resort.

Finally, Jason landed a few feet away, setting Will and Apollo down. Will darted to Percy’s side immediately, kneeling down and shooing Nico away, “Go find my bag, and pass me some nectar,” he instructed. 

Apollo set down the basket gingerly, “We did it,” he said, but his tone was anything but victorious. He went to help Will assess the extent of Percy’s injuries.

When Nico returned, Percy was still lying flat on the ground, the gladius sticking out of his chest. Will was murmuring, “...exsanguination, likely pneumothorax or pulmonary edema…” his eyes shut tight in concentration. 

Apollo beckoned to Nico. “Quick, come here. The moment Jason pulls the blade out, pour nectar into the wound. That’ll minimize the chance of infection.”

Jason, who had been pacing in circles around them, trotted over when his name was called. His eyes were red, and Nico realized that he was seeing Jason cry for the second time since they met.

They did as Apollo said, before stepping back and allowing Will to do his work, his hands glowing like miniature suns. Apollo placed his hands over Will’s. “Take as much of my power as you can,” he urged, before turning to Nico. “Find a bucket and fill it with seawater, and splash it on Percy, but avoid the wound. Keep doing it until Will tells you to stop.”

Nico was about to point out that the nearest ocean was miles away, then realized that he was supposed to use the shadows.

After the first trip he took, he poured the water over Percy’s legs and stomach carefully, shaking out the last few drops desperately.

After the second trip, Percy’s wound had already closed completely, leaving a large red scar. Will was still muttering something about internal hemorrhaging, and Percy’s soul was still in danger, so he forced the fatigue away and vanished again. 

After the third trip, Apollo was out cold, lying on the floor in a limp heap, but thankfully still alive. Jason still seemed to be in shock, curled up into a ball a few feet away, nervously watching Percy and Will. Every part of him longed to go over and comfort his boyfriend, but Nico had a job to do, and he wouldn’t stop until Percy was safe.

After the fourth trip, Will was pale and trembling, beads of perspiration dripping off his brow. If not for the fact that Jason was essentially supporting his weight, he would probably have already fallen over. 

After the fifth trip, Percy was finally stabilized. Nico was about to breathe a sigh of relief when a sickening feeling hit him - Will’s life force was ebbing. Rapidly. He lunged forward and tugged Will away, but it was too late - while Percy was no longer in mortal danger, the overuse of his powers meant that Will would die soon. 

“He’s safe now,” Will whispered, smiling contentedly. “Take care of him for me, okay?” 

The overjoyed expression drained from Jason’s face. “What?”

When Will’s life force faded away, it was like a part of Nico’s very self was being ripped away from him.

“He’s dead,” Nico whispered, “all that effort, and we just ended up trading one life for another.” He closed his eyes, steeled himself and yelled, “HADES!”

“What are you...” Jason was cut off by the shadows around him coalescing into a god.

Hades glanced at Will and snapped his fingers, capturing the soul that had just left his body. “It’s usually the god who summons the mortal, not the other way around,” he deadpanned,“You want me to save this boy?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t have a choice.” 

“By interfering in the affairs of mortals, I would be breaking the rules of the gods. Are you prepared for the consequences? You already have the Grace kid, do you really need another boyfriend?” 

“Please Dad, I love him,” Nico whispered, fighting against the sobs that wracked his body.

Jason let out a choked sob, “I love him too,” he whispered, nearly inaudibly.

Hades sighed and snapped his fingers again, transporting all of them to the underworld. Persephone, who seemingly had been waiting in the throne room, came to their aid, holding a flower under Percy’s nose to wake him before doing the same for Apollo.

“Am I dead?” Percy asked, standing up and looking around the throne room with a confused expression. 

“You aren’t, but Will...” He didn’t have to elaborate; seeing Will’s lifeless form on the bed Persephone had conjured was enough.

A moment later, a man wearing a pristine white lab coat materialized in the room. With his salt-and-pepper hair, well-trimmed beard and stethoscope, Nico thought that he looked like the stereotypical doctor.

Jason’s eyes lit up, “Asclepius! Please, help us.” The godly doctor nodded grimly, hurrying to Will’s side. “Lord Hades, Lady Persephone,” he greeted, inclining his head politely, “Dad.”

If not for the dire situation, Nico would have commented on the irony of a middle-aged man calling someone who looked like a teenager ‘dad’.

“Thank you for coming when I called. Will you do it?” Hades demanded gruffly.

“I’ll do my best; Will’s my brother, after all.”

“What happened to him?” Percy asked.

Asclepius frowned, “He overused his powers healing you. It’s rare that demigods actually do this - it takes great determination and fortitude to exceed one’s limits without passing out.” Apollo turned red after hearing what he said, while Jason squeezed Nico’s hand in understanding.

“Anyway,” Asclepius continued, “the damage was to his soul, and not just his body, which makes it harder to heal. May I...”

With a gentleness that Nico had rarely seen, Hades passed the glowing ball of Will’s soul to the doctor, who closed his eyes in concentration, cupping his hands around it.

There was a faint pop behind them, signaling the appearance of yet another god. Thanatos, despite his similarities to Eros, was very much the polar opposite; with his flowing black hair, teak skin and glimmering wings. Plus, Nico actually liked the god of death.

“Lord Hades,” he warned, “I’ll have to report this to _his majesty_.”

Hades nodded, “I understand. Try not to hurry, will you?”

Thanatos bowed deeply. “My sincerest apologies, my Lord.”

Nico flinched involuntarily when he vanished. As the god of death, it was Thantanos’ duty to handle or report any anomalies. When Zeus found out about Will’s return from the dead, he certainly wouldn’t be pleased.

Asclepius muttered a few more words in ancient Greek, before returning Will’s soul to his body.

“Give him some time to rest. I’ve already done all that I can.” He took Nico and Jason’s hands as well, giving them a small boost of healing energy. “I was never here, got it?” He glanced around shiftily, then vanished without further word.

“I’m going to head to Olympus now. Best to deal with the fallout sooner rather than later,” Hades declared.

“Dad… I...” Nico started to say, but Hades cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Save it for when you make it out alive,” he replied, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

Persephone conjured up snacks and drinks for them, but it did little to put their minds at ease. Will woke up a while later, still looking pale and weak, but glad to be alive. They waited anxiously for what was to come, trying to reassure one another, including Persephone, but it was clear that everyone was just as worried.

Ten minutes later, the gods finally decided to put an end to their anxiety by summoning them directly to the throne room.


	37. Justice (n.) fair and reasonable administration of the law or authority/ treatment deserved or appropriate in the circumstances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're all done with the plot! The last five chapters will mostly be fluff and smut, with the four boys _finally_ getting together. I haven't written any of it yet though, so it might take a while, what with my mid-year exams being next week. Anyway, I wasn't very sure if there were any gaps/plot holes in the last few chapters, I tried to wrap things up and there will be a bit more explaining to come. Do comment if you have any thoughts/suggestions! Thank you so much for reading ^^

Eleven Olympians towered before them, most donning austere expressions. To their left stood Hades and Persephone, both human sized. Hades glanced at them with a pained look, but didn’t say a word.

“Silence!” Zeus boomed, and the minor gods crowded on the upper floors quietened down, studying the demigods who stood in the room like convicts awaiting trial.

“As you should already know, those before us have committed transgressions and defied the fates. We now seek to decide upon a just punishment.” The king of the gods was all business, from the tone of his voice to the immaculate suit he wore.

“Punish me, brother,” Hades pleaded, “These children have done no wrong. I was the one who broke the rules by interfering in mortal affairs.”

“As you wish. Five hundred years in the underworld, with no contact with mortals. Two hundred years for your wife.” Zeus declared offhandedly, ignoring the squeak of rage from Demeter, “Now, let us see to reversing the damage. Will Solace,” he pointed at the blond, “Hades unnaturally brought you back to life. I will send your soul to Elysium, as it was originally supposed to go. All in favor of these punishments..”

“Wait!” Apollo called out, “I am a god too, right? In helping my son save Percy, I defied the will of the fates. Had I not interfered, Jackson would be dead, and Will would still be alive.”

Nico shot a glare at the sun god. What was he doing? Sure, he might have saved Will, but Percy would be in trouble. Besides, Apollo was currently a mortal, not a god. 

Zeus didn’t seem to think that way, though. “That sounds fair, all in favor of sparing Will Solace and sending Percy Jackson to Elysium?”

Poseidon hissed, but Athena spoke first. “Father, I have been receiving prayers from my daughter these past few weeks, pleading with me to help save the boy. As your advisor, I would suggest that we let Perseus Jackson live. He has served the gods well in the past and may prove useful in the future. As it seems, the reason why he nearly died in the first place was as he was on a quest to return Apollo to us and restore the power of prophecy.” As she sat down, a murmur of agreement floated through the air.

“Fine,” Zeus growled, “All in favor of sparing both Will Solace and Percy Jackson?”

With the exception of Hera and Zeus, all nine gods raised their hands. Poseidon seemed relieved. Demeter cackled, giving them a thumbs up, while Aphrodite blew them a kiss, and Dionysus shrugged, saying “Eh, Perry Johnson’s cool.” Apollo raised both of his hands, but was duly ignored.

“Now, can we agree on punishing Hades and Persephone? I want to punish someone today.”

With that, Nico came to the sickening realization that it was all a power game for Zeus. He didn’t care about Will or Percy. He didn’t care about the fates. All he wanted was to further buttress his position as the King of the Olympians.

“My sincerest apologies, Lord Zeus, but may I say a few words before the gods make a decision?” Nico asked. His voice was calm and detached, but he could feel himself shaking in fear. Percy, who was standing next to him, found his hand and held it in encouragement. Even Apollo offered him a genuine smile.

“If you are to punish my father and stepmother for interfering in mortal affairs, then shouldn’t the same apply to Lady Hera? She sent Eros and Ganymede to do her bidding, but her intention was clear - to break us up.”

“That’s a bold claim,” Zeus stated, “What do you have to say for yourself, Hera?”

The goddess turned pale. “It.. it was in the interest of the gods...” she stammered, “I was trying to prevent...”

“Silence!” Zeus thundered, “Did you interfere? Yes or no.”

Hera nodded, hanging her head in shame.

“Get down! How dare you act without my knowledge or permission? Apollo, you can join us; I’ve decided not to punish you again.”

With a self-satisfied grin, Apollo vanished, reappearing on his throne several times larger, whereas Hera shrunk down and took his place beside Nico, giving him a wide berth.

“Five hundred years in the underworld for you too, Hera.”

Hera flinched, but Hades seemed to be the most upset about it. Nico could just imagine his father saying ‘great, now you’ve just gone and made things worse.’ He was not quite done with his gambit yet, though.

“Lord Zeus, I do have to admit that Lady Hera’s actions are not unjustified. She was worried that I would lead Jason astray, or incite him and Percy to rebel against the gods. I would like to make a bargain. Pardon my parents and Lady Hera, or at least give them a more just punishment, and promise that the gods will not interfere with our relationships. In return, I will swear upon the holy river not to attempt to overthrow the gods, and do everything in my power to prevent any others from doing so, as long as I live.” Nico closed his eyes, half expecting Zeus to smite him on the spot for his impudence.

“I like the sound of that,” the Lord of the Skies said instead, pinning him with a calculating smirk, “Not like you puny mortals could ever overthrow us, of course. You and your three _boyfriends_ take the oath, and I’ll consider a more appropriate sentence.”

“Sure,” Jason declared, stepping forward with Percy and Will. In unison, they repeated Nico’s earlier words, “I swear upon the Styx not to attempt to overthrow the Olympians, and do everything in my power to prevent any others from doing so, as long as I live.”

“Lord Zeus,” Athena said, glancing at the three accused gods warily, “May I suggest an alternative punishment? Lord Hades has to tend to the underworld to maintain its stability, so I propose we bar him from leaving for two hundred years. Lady Demeter will not agree with a similar punishment for her daughter, so I suggest we prohibit Lady Persephone from entering her garden in the underworld for fifty years. And lastly, for Lady Hera, we can send her to Ogygia for two hundred years, seeing as the island is currently unoccupied. We will not allow any heroes to wash up on the shores, and she will return for the Winter Solstice yearly.”

Zeus nodded, “All in favor?” This time, the agreement was unanimous. Even Hera seemed pleased with the outcome; she probably felt like she was going on an extended vacation.

“Now, you troublesome demigods get out of my throne room,” with a flick of his hand, the four heroes were teleported back to Camp Half-Blood.


	38. Flight (n.) the action or process of flying through the air / the action of fleeing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's only one chapter this week, and an angsty one at that... I need to get back into the groove of writing after taking a break >< Hopefully I'll have two or three chapters done by next week!

It was evening by the time the four appeared in the center of the dining pavilion. They felt the collective stares of all the campers who were in the middle of having dinner, but apart from smiling and waving, the other demigods were nice enough to give them some space. Jason gave Leo and Calypso a weak smile, then obliged Chiron with an extremely condensed summary of what happened. (‘We found Apollo, got rid of Python and made it back in one piece.’) Once that was over, there was only one thing on his mind - rest. Will left with Percy for Cabin Three, while Nico tugged Jason to his cabin. 

“My dad won’t care if you spend the night. Even if he did, it's not like he can come up to yell at us anyway,” Nico sighed bitterly, in response to Jason’s reluctance to enter. Once he was inside though, the allure of Nico’s satin bedspread and fluffy pillows was too much to resist. After a quick shower to wash off the blood and grime, and a half-hearted attempt at brushing his teeth, he flopped onto the bed and was asleep before Nico had even gotten out of the bathroom. It wasn’t surprising, though; in the past twelve hours, he had fought off a monster army, stabbed his best friend while possessed, let his other best friend sacrifice his life to save said best friend, watched as his boyfriend did all he could to save them all, and miraculously survived judgement by the gods. In short, it had been a long day.

When he awoke, the cabin was still pitch black, but felt twenty degrees colder. Spurred into action by the sounds of whimpering and thrashing, Jason switched the light on to see Nico curled up on the edge of the bed, clearly reliving some of his worst memories. Jason might not have Nico’s dream powers, but he couldn’t bear to see his boyfriend suffer in such a manner. He managed to wake Nico up, but all he saw was a pair of obsidian eyes boring into him, without a trace of recognition.

“Neeks, it’s me. Jason. You’re safe. It was just a nightmare.” Despite Jason’s attempts to whisper assurances, Nico’s breathing continued at its erratic pace.

When Nico blindly shoved him away, Jason panicked. He had never felt so... useless. Getting help seemed like the only option left, so Jason flew directly to Percy’s cabin, the rules and the cleaning harpies not even occurring to him in his haste.

It took more than a dozen precious seconds spent hammering at the door before Percy and Will stumbled out, but once they caught sight of his expression, they were fully awake and sprinting towards Cabin Thirteen in moments.

Will ran forward once he caught sight of Nico, taking his hand in his to check his values. “I have a way that might work,” he told Jason, “but you’re not going to like it.” He leaned forward, cupping Nico’s face tenderly and drawing him into a kiss.

Jason found that he couldn’t bring himself to care. If anything could wake Nico up and spare him from his suffering, it was more than okay.

Nico began to stir the moment Will moved back. Percy pulled him from Jason’s lap onto his own, rubbing circles on Nico’s back with practiced ease. He glared at Jason reproachfully, “Did you just run out of the cabin and leave him here alone?”

“It was just for a few seconds! I went to get you because I didn’t know what to do.” It sounded like a pathetic excuse even to Jason himself, and did nothing to assuage the guilt in his heart.

Percy seemed like he was about to say something else, but was distracted when Nico coughed, muttering something in a hoarse voice. Will immediately passed him a cup of water, from which he took an unsteady sip.

“The usual?” Will asked, with an unusually grim expression on his face.

“Yeah,” Nico confirmed. The three of them shared a look of immense pain and mutual understanding, one that was too much for Jason to bear. With a muttered excused, he left the cabin, flying up; up and away from the mess that was his life.

He returned when the first rays of sunlight struck his skin. The three of them were still fast asleep, looking endearingly peaceful cuddled up in a bundle under the blanket. Jason didn’t even bother to pack any of his belongings, but he figured that he should at least get dressed, grab his wallet and leave a note. Then, he flew away from Camp Half-Blood, leaving behind a world of regret, and the three guys he loved.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

When Nico woke up, he instantly realized that Jason was gone. He didn’t worry at first; knowing how the Roman was too nice for his own good, he was probably getting breakfast for all of them. Then, he found a piece of paper on the dresser that said, ‘I can’t do this anymore – all I ever do is hurt you guys. I love you, Nico, but you’ll be happier without me.’ That was when the worry set in.

His immediate response was incredulity – someone must have played an exceedingly cruel joke on him. However, after he woke Percy and Will up, they scoured the camp looking for the son of Jupiter, to no avail. Jason was gone. Really gone.

“It’s my fault,” Nico wailed, throwing himself onto his bed, exhausted after the futile search. “I should have told him that it wasn’t his fault Percy got hurt. He had no control over his actions when the _eidolon_ possessed him.”

“I think what really upset him was that he couldn’t get you to calm down last night, but we could. I should have explained that I had more experience dealing with the worst of your nightmares from when you were staying in the infirmary right after the war. You had me so worried that I would spend the night there to make sure you were alright. Plus, I have healing powers. He should be glad that he doesn’t have to experience the nightmares – I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone, much less _Jason_ ,” Will shook his head, fiddling with his watch. ”I just wish I had at least touched him – I might have been able to sense his emotional state and comfort him, or assure him, or… I don’t know, just do something about it?”

Percy went over to them, kissing Will lightly on the forehead and placing his arm around Nico’s shoulder. Nico instinctively leaned into his touch, barely realizing what he was doing. “If anyone is to blame, it’s me,” Percy declared, “I accused him of leaving Nico here alone when he went to fetch us, and I didn’t stop him when he left. I didn’t think he was going to leave for good; that’s the problem. I didn’t think. But as much as I would love to join in on your pity party, that’s not going to get Jason back. We’re calling Reyna.”

He went to get a prism and flashlight, giving the other two some time to regain their composure before he made the call.

The image of Reyna showed her at her desk, rifling through paperwork with a bored expression. “What is it?” She growled, not even bothering to look up.

“ _Sorella,_ ” Nico called, his voice wavering. At the sound of his voice, some of the worry lines disappeared from Reyna’s face, and she smiled at them.

“It’s good to see you back at Camp safely. I take it that the quest went smoothly? If it’s Grace who you’re looking for, the idiot tried to sneak into Camp Jupiter a couple of hours ago. Preposterous. I have eyes everywhere,” she leveled a glare at Will, “You’ll do well to remember that. Anyway, he hasn’t spoken to anyone, not even Piper. I don’t know what happened between you all, but he’s clearly in pretty bad shape.”

Upon hearing what she said, Nico started tearing up again. Reyna looked tempted to leap through the mist and go full big sister mode on him. Instead, she asked, “Tell me if there’s anything I can do to fix this. Give the word, Nico, and I’ll go over right now and kick his ass for hurting you.”

Nico shook his head vehemently. He didn’t quite know what to say, though. Sensing his apprehension, Will said, “Help us tell him that we all miss him dearly and hope he’ll come back. Apart from that, though, we’ll give him some space.”

“If he doesn’t come to his senses within a week, we’ll head over to Camp Jupiter and drag him back here ourselves,” Percy added, “Is that okay with you, Praetor?”

Reyna nodded. “I would love to hear the story of your quest, but let’s leave that for a better time. If that’s all, then take care, and I’ll see you soon. Oh and Nico, give Hazel a call, you know how she worries.” With a last smile, she waved her hand through the image.

Percy stroked his hands over Nico’s back soothingly, while Will whispered assurances in his ear. Nico let his head fall forward, resting on Percy’s shoulder. He felt a kiss on the top of his head, which could have come from either of them. It was way too intimate, but at the same time, extremely comforting. They stayed that way until Nico’s sobs evened out. When Will tried to move away to give him some space, Nico tugged him back, wanting to feel his warmth. Being sandwiched between them made him feel safe and protected. It almost made Jason’s absence bearable.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Come on, Nico, are you sure you aren’t hungry?” Percy cajoled.

Nico whined petulantly, sinking further under the covers. He hadn’t left his cabin for the past four days, and for the most part, neither did Percy and Will. After they tried and failed to convince him to go out for meals, only one of them would leave, bringing back food so they could eat together. They didn’t talk much. Will took to filling the silence by singing songs in a soft voice. Percy joined in sometimes. He was a bit tone deaf, but he tried his best, and that was all that mattered.

Most of the time, they let their actions do the talking. Gentle touches that said, ‘we’re here for you.’ Chaste kisses that said, ‘we love you.’ Warm smiles that said, ‘it’ll be okay.’ Nico knew that they were putting up a brave front for him, when in actuality, they were both worried out of their minds. So, he did his best to comfort them too, in very much the same way.

When Percy returned with food, Will and Nico were surprised to see that he wasn’t alone.

“Mr Nico?” Alice asked, gingerly stepping into the cabin. “I heard that you were feeling sad, so I thought I’d try to cheer you up. Tada!” She held out a bunch of fresh daffodils. “Yoshida Hanako from the Demeter cabin told me that they symbolize happiness in Japanese culture, so I hope you like it.”

Nico took the flowers from her, gazing at them in amazement, “Thank you so much, they’re lovely,” He told the daughter of Hebe. They couldn’t find a vase in the cabin, but Percy got a water bottle to place the flowers in.

Not wanting to dirty his bed, Nico sat on the carpet, reluctantly nibbling on the burger Percy had gotten him. Percy and Will gave him encouraging smiles, before turning back to their chariot racing game. Alice sat beside him, eagerly rambling on about the arts and crafts projects that she and her siblings did. She then asked Nico to tell her more about the underworld, which he gladly did. It was nice sharing his near-encyclopedic knowledge of the place with someone who seemed genuinely interested, plus it distracted him from thinking of Jason. He couldn’t help but feel appreciative for all the things his friends had done to make him feel better; being with Percy and Will, talking to his sisters, getting visits from Alice, Leo, and Calypso, they all helped prevent him from going into a depressive spiral. Thinking of that made him realize - Jason didn’t have that. He had isolated himself in his villa at Camp Jupiter, turning up at council sessions but not making an appearance anywhere else. Jason had always seemed so strong and infallible, but in the end, the truth was that he needed love and affection just as much as anyone else. 

Once Alice left, Nico turned to Will and Percy, his mind already made up. “We’re going to get Jason back. Now.”


	39. Trust (n.) firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I overestimate myself. Somehow, my team got into the finals of a programming competition last week which I had to prepare for, so I couldn't finish the chapter in time. Sorry, hope this long (and smutty) chapter makes up for it! In case anyone is confused, I retconned a part in an earlier chapter. The eidolon-possessed Jason tried to kill Nico, then Percy moved in to save him and got stabbed.

Percy was pretty certain that he loved Nico, but that didn’t mean that the younger boy wasn’t still an insufferable brat. It had taken him and Will ages to dissuade Nico from shadow traveling to Camp Jupiter directly. He adamantly refused to travel by pegasi, even when Percy offered to ride on Blackjack with him. Finally, they came to a compromise - they would set off that night in a car, reaching the Roman Camp the following morning.

The car ride had been exhausting - Nico fidgeted non-stop, asking questions like ‘What should I say to Jason?’ and ‘How do you think he’ll react?’. It was a relief when he finally got tired and inadvertently fell asleep on Will’s lap; those were the same questions that were playing on loop in Percy’s mind, and he didn’t have any answers either.

Percy came to a silent agreement with Will that they would take turns sleeping, in case one of them had nightmares. Thankfully, the rest of the trip went smoothly - there were no monster attacks, and Nico slept soundly, so he wasn’t able to continue fretting.

When the car came to a halt at the perimeter of Camp Jupiter, Will gently nudged Nico awake. He stumbled out of the car, right into the waiting arms of his sister.

“It’s so good to see you,” Hazel gushed, “I really wanted to go over, but the campaign has been so stressful, and Reyna told me that you would probably be heading over soon, anyway. She was surprised it took you so long, actually.”

Percy grinned as he watched Nico hug his sister tightly, nearly lifting her off the ground. It was clear that Hazel was still his emotional support; some of her enthusiasm and energy would seemingly diffuse to him whenever they were together. From what Hazel had told them, becoming the next Praetor wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. Despite having a lot of experience, as well as the support of both current praetors and two former ones, Hazel didn’t have as much background in politics compared to some of the other candidates. Plus, some of the campers probably still had negative perceptions of her as a daughter of Pluto. It was an uphill battle, but Hazel would make it. Percy was proud of her, and he was sure that Nico felt the same way.

Frank turned up a few minutes later, looking sleep-deprived. “Sorry I’m late, guys,” he yawned, going over to hug them as well. “I know that you’re probably anxious to see Jason, so just hand me your luggage, and Hazel will bring you to him.” He gave Hazel a kiss, his cheeks coloring slightly, before leaving with their bags.

“The Senate decided that they might as well give Jason a permanent place to stay, given how often he’s here on official business,” Hazel explained, already striding off purposefully. The villa was one of the standard issue ones for official purposes, she told them. It had one living room, a small kitchen, as well as two bedrooms with an attached bathroom. The architecture was classic Roman, but it had modern furnishing. Percy felt slightly relieved that Jason at least had a comfortable place to be a hermit in. It was no wonder he and Nico were boyfriends; apparently, they both liked to hide indoors when they were stressed or upset.

When they knocked on the door, Jason growled, “Go away, Piper, I’m not arguing about this with you anymore. They’ll be perfectly fine without me.”

“Open the door, Jason Grace,” Hazel commanded, hints of Reyna’s regal tone seeping into her voice. Percy was impressed.

When Jason acquiesced, Percy couldn’t hold in his gasp, and he heard a similar intake of breath from Will. Jason looked gaunt; his eyes were red and rimmed with dark circles, and he had lost an alarming amount of weight in just six days. (Will would probably comment that he had a single-digit body fat percentage.) Then again, Percy supposed that they weren’t that much better off. They had taken care of one another and ensured that the others ate and bathed, but there wasn’t much that Percy could do if Nico or Will woke up crying in the middle of the night. The usual dark circles around Nico's eyes had definitely worsened.

When Jason saw them, his expression was conflicted and anguished. “What are you all doing here?” he asked.

“To see you,” Nico deadpanned. His voice was soft and tinged with sadness, like he didn’t even know if they should be there. Hazel leaned over and kissed his cheek, whispering some words of encouragement before she left.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Jason finally stepped aside, letting them in. They sat in the living room, silently observing one another. There was so much that Percy wanted to do; he wanted to throttle Jason for abandoning them, but he also wanted to hold on to him and never let go. Most of all, he wanted to assure Jason and erase all of his insecurities. Instead, he remained where he was and asked, “Why did you leave?”

Jason looked surprised that he didn’t already know why. “It was on the note. I almost killed Nico. Hell, I killed you, Percy. I could see everything that was happening, but I couldn’t stop it...” he shuddered and looked away, but Percy caught a glimpse of his haunted expression.

“That was because you were possessed, Jason. It wasn’t you...” Will started to say, but Jason cut him off.

“What about all the other times? I know I hurt you, Will, by being in denial and pretending that I didn’t feel anything for you. And you, Percy, when I shut you out after we had sex. Nico, I hurt you more times than I can count. I’m not going to delude myself into thinking that you’d still want me around after all that.”

“Why would you think that?” Nico demanded, dragging his fingers through his bangs in frustration. “You don’t get to make the choice for me, Jason. Think of all that you’ve done for me. You helped me to accept myself for who I am, and be proud of it. You were my first and best friend, the one I turned to when things were too much for me to handle. You are my boyfriend, and a great one at that.” 

“You love them. I can see it in the way you look at them, and they feel the same way too. The three of you could be so happy together...”

“Not without you!” Nico exclaimed, “I love you, Jason. We love you. And we need you. Remember when I gave you the chalice of poison, and you drank from it without hesitation? You trusted me then, so trust me now, okay? Just come back to us.”

The conflicted look slowly evaporated from Jason’s face, and was replaced with relief and amazement. He leaned forward into Nico’s embrace, sighing contentedly, “Okay,” he breathed, “I’ve just hurt you again by leaving, haven’t I?”

Nico didn’t cry again, but his eyes shone. “Just don’t ever do something like that again, and I’ll forgive you.” He yanked Will and Percy towards him, forming a group hug with Jason at the center. Percy leaned his head on Jason’s shoulder, finding that he agreed with Nico wholeheartedly. There was nothing to forgive - Jason’s fears and guilt may have been unfounded, but they were also completely understandable. All Percy wanted was to start afresh with a clean state (or as Jason would call it, a _tabula rasa_ ).

“So,” Will mumbled, hints of mirth in his voice for the first time in days, “you caught feelings for me, huh?”

Jason whined and tried harder to bury his face against Nico’s chest.

“I think it’s inevitable at this point,” Percy chuckled, “even Jason’s dad thinks we’re all dating each other.”

“It’s going to be a lot of work,” Will pointed out, “There are a lot of things that we still have to discuss and figure out. Plus, Jason and Nico were just reunited, it might be a bit too soon for such a huge change in their relationship.”

“I’m ready,” Jason declared, “I’ve always known that Nico is in love with you two, but I’m only just beginning to realize that it doesn’t detract from his love for me.”

“We’re doing this?” Nico laughed incredulously, “we’re actually doing this.”

In lieu of answering him, Jason kissed him hungrily. It was enthralling, the way they moved against each other, in sync. When they finally broke apart, both of them were panting lightly.

“Oh yeah, Percy, we should probably find Reyna. She’ll probably want to know what happened.” Will gulped, but still wriggled out of the group hug.

“Sure, let’s do that!” Percy agreed, a little too enthusiastically; it was probably obvious that they just wanted to give Jason and Nico some time alone. Both he and Will kissed Nico on the cheek (it had become customary for them, somehow) before retreating from the room.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason’s eyes widened, “What did I just see?” The four of them were close, but he hadn't ever seen the other two kiss Nico, not even on the cheek. As far as he knew, it was a gesture Nico reserved for his sisters.

Nico sighed, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but after you left, I was obviously devastated. Will and Percy were trying to comfort me, and we… uh… grew closer because of that. Leo and Calypso came to visit me a couple of times, and Alice did too. Which reminds me, Leo said that he would come here and set you on fire if you don’t stop being thick headed, and go back home. His words, not mine.”

“Okay,” Jason answered, taking a deep breath, “It does bother me that you suffered because of my stupid decision, but I don’t feel jealous anymore. Percy and Will deserve you as much as… no, more than I do.”

“You deserve me, Jason. I’ve already told you; one mistake isn’t going to change that. Now, are we going to get on with what we were doing? Those two are bound to come back sooner or later.”

Jason certainly wasn’t expecting such a response from Nico. He had already resigned to his fate of being alone and pining for the guys, but keeping his distance so as not to interfere with their relationship. The second he had seen them at his doorstep, frantic with worry, he had realized just how wrong he was; they needed him just as much as he needed them. Even then, Jason hadn’t expected Nico to forgive him so easily, much less initiate sex with him. Not that he was complaining, but it was still a surprise.

“Are you sure?” he had to confirm. The last thing Jason wanted to do was take advantage of Nico when he was feeling vulnerable.

“I’ve never been more sure.”

Instead of answering, Jason picked Nico up bridal style, carrying him to the room and depositing him on the bed. The arousal in Nico’s gaze was unmistakable.

“That turned you on, didn’t it?” Jason smirked. Nico tried to argue, but he silenced him by bringing their lips together. Nico moaned into their kiss, grinding against Jason desperately as he attempted to pull their clothes off. It was easy to fall back into old habits, but there was a new electricity in the air. Nico seemed more confident; more determined. Jason found that he liked that change. He cupped a hand on his boyfriend’s magnificent backside, circling his rim with a finger, “Are you prepared?”

Nico blushed, shaking his head slowly, “I didn’t expect...”

“Well, it’s a good thing that I am, then,” Jason grinned.

“You mean you want to...” Nico made a strange hand gesture, “... by me? But you’re bigger and more masculine, shouldn’t you be the one who...”

Jason resisted the urge to scoff, “Who cares what society thinks? It’s just the two of us right now. We can do anything we want to.”

Nico’s eyes widened as Jason reached into his drawer, pulling out a tube of lube and a condom. Jason started fingering himself, not once breaking eye contact. “You’re the only one who’s ever gotten to see my like this, Neeks,” he drawled, ‘I bet you’re going to feel so good in me, filling me up.“

Those words seemed to snap Nico’s control. “ _Più veloce, Jason. Toccami per favore._ ” he pleaded. Jason had no clue what he was saying, but he got the general idea. Plus, he loved the way the foreign words rolled off the Italian’s tongue. Without pulling out his fingers, he bent down and grabbed a condom with his other hand, ripping open the packet and placing it on the tip of Nico’s hard length. He rolled it down with his mouth, earning an impressed look from Nico. Jason decided that he was never going to tell him that he had spent ages practicing with a banana.

When Jason finally lowered himself down on Nico, they both groaned from the intense sensation. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but it did take a while to adjust to feeling so _full_. Jason started bouncing up and down, with Nico thrusting up to meet him halfway. The room was silent save for the sound of skin against skin, and Nico cursing in Italian. _Di immortales_ , he was _perfect_. Jason wished he could savor the moment forever, but he could already feel his climax nearing, especially every time he felt Nico’s dick slam against his prostate. To distract himself, he gazed at Nico's face, taking in and cataloging every small way that his pleasure was expressed. In the end, it was Nico who came first, yelling Jason's name. A few more thrusts later, Jason followed, covering Nico’s chest with his cum. He pulled himself up and rolled over, collapsing on the bed beside Nico with a groan.

Despite the fact that his eyes were closed, it wasn’t hard to make out the sound of Nico getting up, heading to the bathroom to clean up, before returning to wipe Jason down with a warm, wet towel. “Thank you,” Jason hummed appreciatively, “I love you, Neeks.”

As he drifted out of consciousness, Jason felt a kiss on his lips, and he heard Nico whisper, “ _Ti amo._ I love you too, Jace.”


	40. Aver (v.) declare/state to be the case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know I'm late by two days. Yes, I'm sorry. No, I'm not going to add any more chapters to the story. No, I won't take another month to write the last four chapters (I hope). This chapter took forever to write, and even then, it feels a little off ><, so any comments or suggestions for improvement are greatly appreciated!

When Will and Percy got back, they let themselves in (Reyna had given them a key), finding Jason fast asleep on his bed with his arms wrapped around Nico, who seemed to still be awake, if only barely.

“ _Sole mio_ ,” he murmured, pulling Will towards him. 

“Neeks, I’m pretty sure the bed isn’t big enough for all of us...” Will tried to say, but Nico had already dozed off, keeping a firm hold on him. 

Will tried to get help from Percy, but his traitor of a boyfriend simply shrugged, climbing onto the other side of the bed. Jason had to have been really tired; he didn’t even stir when Percy flopped over him. Resigning to his fate of being Nico’s personal heater, Will squeezed in beside him, nudging him over slightly so as to have more space. He could feel Nico’s lowered heart rate and elevated levels of dopamine and oxytocin, which he knew was the result of post-orgasmic calmness and contentment. Will would never admit it, but he secretly enjoyed the feeling.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Nico.”

Abruptly, Nico regained consciousness, recognizing the voice as his father’s. He looked around the dream world, but all he could see was pitch darkness extending _ad infinitum_ in all directions. A few moments later, Hades materialized out of nowhere, appraising Nico with a surprisingly genial expression.

“Dad!” Nico exclaimed, hugging the god, “I thought I wouldn’t get to see you until I died.”

Hades grunted, awkwardly patting his back. “Foolish boy, that won’t happen for quite some time. Besides, just because I can’t leave doesn’t mean that you can’t drop by to visit once in a while.”

Blinking the tears out of his eyes, Nico stared up at the Lord of the Underworld in amazement. “Really? That’s great! I’ll definitely do that. I’m so sorry, Dad, for what happened to you and Persephone.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Hades replied, “you know you wouldn’t have made any other choice. I’ve made my own choices too, and I don’t regret a single one of them. My children are so rarely happy, and I would do all that I can to see you continue to be the exception.”

Those were the same words that Hades had said to him once, but the change in phrasing was obvious. Was Nico happy, though? For a long time, he had believed that jouissance was simply not in the cards for him, but he had finally found a place where he belonged, and people who loved him just as much as he loved them. Perhaps, for the first time since leaving the Lotus Hotel and Casino, he was truly happy.

“I must say,” his father continued, “you impressed me with the tact and finesse you displayed in handling the situation. While I’m not too keen on having you bound to Olympus, the chances of the gods actually calling upon you are slim. You will make a great diplomat some day, my son.”

“Thank you so much,” Nico said appreciatively, “tell Persephone that I’m thankful for her help too.”

“Come and tell her yourself,” the faintest of smiles appeared on Hades’ usually stoic face, “and bring your boyfriends too, I still haven’t given them _the talk_.” He waved his hand, and Nico drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will was woken up by a loud crash, followed by Percy swearing. Scrambling up to take a look at what had happened, he found Jason sitting up with a confused expression, while Percy was sprawled on the floor. It wasn’t hard to deduce what had happened. The sound had apparently woken Nico too, who bolted upright, declaring, “We’re going to the underworld.” 

“What?” Jason mumbled, fumbling around for his glasses. 

“My dad showed up in my dream and said that I should visit. He invited you guys as well.” Nico explained.

“‘Invited’, yeah, right,” Percy snorted, stumbling towards the bathroom. Jason gave Nico a nod, before glancing at Will quizzically, probably wondering why he had woken up with Percy using him as a pillow. Will simply shrugged; it wasn't his job to explain Percy's whimsical actions. 

“I’ll go make breakfast,” Jason announced, loud enough for Percy to hear too. “We can discuss everything while we eat.”

Will decided to head out with him, slicing up some fruit while waiting for his turn to use the bathroom. When he was done brushing his teeth and changing his clothes (it was a good thing he had brought his luggage), he watched as Jason fried eggs and bacon, waiting for him to speak first.

“How long...” Jason asked, meekly. “... how long have you known that you liked me?”

Will couldn’t really pinpoint a particular instant. He had admired Jason ever since the other blond had first appeared in Camp Half-Blood, but had just assumed that he was out of his league. Plus, back then, Nico had been the focus of his affections. After that, the more time he spent with Jason, the harder it became to remain closed-off and emotionally distant - Jason was affable, sweet and genuinely cared, which made it nearly impossible not to fall for him, try as he might not to. “Ever since the start of this year, I guess?” Will finally replied. It was hard to believe that it had been more than two months already.

“It’s about the same for me,” Jason replied, looking guilty, “sorry I didn’t say anything earlier.” He was suddenly so close to Will that their noses were nearly touching, the intensity of his lazuline eyes electrifying. When they kissed, it was gentle, tentative, very much like his first kiss with Nico, but at the same time, completely different. There wasn’t the same sexual tension thrumming through the air between Jason and Percy; it was something more tender, more relaxed, but every bit as mind blowing. It wasn’t until Percy strolled in that they jumped apart.

“You’re going to burn breakfast,” Percy commented offhandedly, tossing his towel on the table unceremoniously and scooping their food out of the pan and onto a plate. He hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt, and there were droplets of water sliding down his bare torso. Will had to force himself to look away, letting out a small chortle when he realized that Jason was staring too.

“It's okay, Jay,” Will replied, “we should probably have discussed things first, though.”

Jason nodded, but that didn’t stop him from grinning triumphantly. It was utterly adorable.

Percy slid the plate onto the table, giving them a knowing smirk before heading back to their room to wake Nico up again.

When Nico finally stumbled out of the room, he held his hand up when Jason tried to speak. Only after he had drained his coffee did he finally respond. “So, how exactly are we supposed to go about this?”

“We’re not too sure either,” Jason admitted, seeming glad that he was finally allowed to talk, “At the very least, we should discuss boundaries - what we’re comfortable with, and what we’re not.”

“Let’s start with the obvious,” Will suggested, “We’re all equals in this relationship. We’re all boyfriends, so there will be no trying to exclude yourself, or anything like that, okay?” He stared down Jason until he got a reluctant nod. “As for sex,” he continued, feeling his face heat up, “We’ll just do whatever we are all comfortable with, I guess? None of us have much experience with threesomes or foursomes or stuff like that. It’s best if everyone is there when that happens, but even if that’s not the case, it’s okay. I don’t think it will always possible for all of us to be free, or in the mood for sex.”

“Definitely, and consent is also very important,” Percy added, “I felt really bad after what happened last Christmas,” Nico not so subtly took his hand, which Will guessed was a way of showing that what happened then no longer bothered him.

“That goes without saying,” Jason agreed, “Do any of you have anything else to add?”

“I’m not very comfortable with touch,” Nico admitted, “it’s much easier for me now, but I still get overwhelmed sometimes, so please know that it’s not because I don’t you to touch me, it just takes a bit of getting used to.”

“We already knew that,” Percy smiled, “but we’ll try to keep it in mind. There are probably other things, but we will just have to figure them out as we go. Most importantly,” he continued in a confident tone, “I love you guys.” 

“Me too...” Nico admitted, then shook his head and clarified himself, “I love you all.”

Will opened his mouth to respond, then found himself hesitating. Things between him and Jason were different, for reasons he didn’t quite understand - up until recently, their bond seemed to ride on that of the group, as opposed to something unique and individual. He knew that he loved Jason, but was he _in love_ with Jason?

“Come on, Jason, it’s not like you haven’t said it already,” Nico coaxed.

When Jason turned to him, the determination expression, Will decided that he was going to have faith. They looked each other in the eye, and in unison, said: “I love you.” Will gave him another small kiss, before adding, “The ‘you’ is plural, in case you guys didn’t already know.” He heard a chuckle from Percy, before he was suddenly pulled into a group hug. 

“Boyfriends,” Nico murmured, gazing at Will adoringly, “I like the sound of that.”

Will grinned, “Come give me a kiss, _boyfriend_ ,” he slipped his hand behind Nico’s back, pulling him closer. Unlike the past two times, Nico kissed him back with fervor, their lips parting slightly and their tongues tangling together. Gods, Will missed that feeling so much. With some difficulty (considering that they were still tangled in a warm bundle), he managed to tug Nico’s shirt off, letting it fall to the floor. Out of the corner, he could see the other two staring, wide-eyed. Then, Jason slammed into Percy, nearly knocking all of them over in the process. Will was glad that he was being supported by Nico and Percy; the combined lust and passion he felt from them left his knees weak with its intensity. Just as he was about to suggest that they move things to the bedroom, he heard the door slam open.

“You better have a good reason why I went to the trouble of preparing a place for you to stay, and none of you even bothered to set foot in...” Reyna rounded the corner, letting out a gasp as she took in the scene in front of her, “Oh...” 

Julien peeked over her shoulder, unapologetically checking them out. Thankfully, by the time Hazel and Frank walked in, they had already moved apart, and Nico had managed to put his shirt on. Still, their tousled hair and swollen lips were impossible to hide. Hazel fanned her face with her hand, lost for words, while Frank pointedly looked away.

Breaking the silence, Reyna slapped Jason and Will on the back, “Finally,” she said, rolling her eyes, “you idiots got together. Now, instead of unresolved sexual tension, we get to see you guys making out in the kitchen. Not sure if it’s an improvement.” 

“I… We… Reyna… umm...” Nico looked like he was going to have a panic attack. Thankfully, Reyna wrapped her hands around him with a laugh, resting her head on his shoulder, “Just kidding, Nico, I’m glad for you. After interrogating Will and Percy yesterday, I have to concede that they are good boyfriends to you;” she continued. “They have my blessing.”

“So how does this work? Is it exclusive to you four, or can I join in?” Julien asked, wriggling his eyebrows at them. Reyna cast him a murderous look. 

“It’s just the four of us,” Jason growled. Will had to suppress a giggle - Jason had seemingly gotten over his jealousy when it came to them, but that clearly wasn’t the case for anyone else. 

“Just joking, jeez,” Julien rolled his eyes, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek in an attempt to placate her, “You are my one and only, Reyna dear.”

Finally regaining her ability to speak, Hazel stepped in before anyone made things worse with more displays of social ineptness. “How about we go for a stroll in the Garden of Bacchus? We have a lot to catch up on, and we could have a picnic there.”

Reyna immediately brightened, dragging Nico out of the cramped kitchen with her. The others trailed after her, having to run to catch up with her brisk pace. It looked like they were in for an eventful day...


	41. Venereal (adj.) relating to sexual desire or sexual intercourse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the chapter title suggests, the guys finally have sex. Which is described in graphic detail. You have been warned! Writing a foursome is _hard_. There's just so many variables to account for, and I don't have any practical experience with group sex XP 
> 
> This chapter isn't as well edited, so sorry if there are any grammatical/typo errors. (Feel free to correct me in the comments, that would be much appreciated.) If I miraculously manage to finish drafting my college essays tomorrow, I'll post the next chapter, as promised. As always, thank you for reading and commenting!

The picnic turned out to be fun, but also exhausting. Hazel and Julien had asked a seemingly endless amount of questions, some about their quest and Apollo, but mostly about how they had gotten together. On the other hand, Reyna had apparently been in the mood for intimidation; she sat cross-legged on the mat and slowly petted Aurum and Argentum, while scrutinizing Percy and Will. Frank, bless his soul, had simply offered them supportive smiles, reining Hazel in wherever she got too carried away. Unsurprisingly, by the time evening drew by, Percy and Will had seemed more than ready to head down to the underworld. As much as Nico loved his newfound family, he had to admit that they could be really overwhelming at times. 

Jumping to his father’s domain was nearly effortless; over the past few months, he had become so in tune with the other three that shadow traveling with them didn’t feel all that different from when he did it himself. Hades and Persephone were at the throne room to give them a warm welcome, bringing them to the dining room which was richly laden with every kind of food imaginable.

“Don’t worry,” Persephone smiled, “everything here is imported from the mortal world. Feel free to have whatever you want.”

The conversation flowed surprisingly well; Will immediately engaged Persephone in a discussion about various herbs and medicinal plants, while Hades and Jason talked about underworld politics, of all things. Percy seemed wholeheartedly focused on the banquet, which was probably the sole reason Hades hadn’t threatened to smite him yet. Not even Demeter’s sudden appearance could ruin the mood - she seemed to take a liking to Percy, most probably to spite her brother. Percy seemed to like the endless bowls of blue cereal she presented him with. By the time dinner ended, it was nearly eight, according to Will’s watch. Nico was actually excited to get back to his room, especially since Hades said that he had done some ‘upgrading’.

In typical Hades fashion, his old bed had been replaced by a luxurious four-poster bed, with a frame made of bone. There were a modern looking gaming console and a flat screen television, but instead of a logo, they had a swirling image of a tormented soul. Even the bathroom had been expanded and retrofitted with an enormous obsidian bathtub.

Nico couldn’t help but giggle at the expressions of simultaneous amazement and horror on the other guys’ faces, which turned to shock when he admitted that the decor _did_ suit his aesthetic.

Percy had insisted that they test if the bathtub was actually large enough for all of them. Apparently, it was, but it was also too much of a squeeze for it to be very comfortable. Nico had been uneasy taking his clothes off at first, but Jason had pointed out that he could just leave his boxers on, while Percy and Will started teasing him and making lascivious comments, so he was too busy blushing and being embarrassed to be insecure. They had a lot of fun splashing each other; even though Percy technically had an unfair advantage, he only used it to make sure the water didn’t get into their eyes or noses. 

“Do you think Demeter is really going to make us work in the garden?” Percy asked. Jason had already left to try setting up the gaming console and Will was getting snacks, so Nico was perched on the edge of the tub while Percy lazily splashed water at him.

“It’s the least we can do. After all, Persephone would be tending to the garden herself if not for the fact that she got punished trying to help us. Will can probably identify most of the plants, so he’ll tell me where to plant them to get the most light, and we’ll put you in charge of watering them. Jason’s the strongest, so we’ll just let him carry the bags of potting mix and fertilizer around,” Nico answered, trying and failing not to picture Jason hard at work, muscles straining and bulging.

“If you put it that way, it almost sounds fun,” Percy grinned, “hmm, we should probably go help Jason, it looks like he’s struggling.”

As it turned out, four demigods with minimal experience with technology were completely unqualified to operate a state-of-the-art gaming system. “Let’s just ask your dad how to use this thing tomorrow, Nico,” Percy sighed, tossing the remote onto the shelf. 

“What are we going to do then?” Nico asked, “It’s way too early for us to sleep.”

“Truth or dare!” Will exclaimed, bouncing up and down on the bed excitedly. 

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea...” Nico started to say, thinking of what had happened the last time he had played the game. 

Will wasn’t ready to give up, though. “Come on,” he cajoled, “It’ll be fun. We aren’t going to leave the room, and it’s just us; it’s not like we can make you do anything embarrassing.”

“You totally would, though,” Jason pointed out wryly, but he shrugged, taking a seat beside Will, “I don’t particularly mind, actually - we would be pretty bored, otherwise.”

Nico was about to point out that he brought his Mythomagic cards, but Will started making puppy eyes at him, which instantly melted his heart. “Fine,” he relented, “but I get to go first. Will, truth or dare?”

“Dare.” Will responded with a flirty grin, “I wonder what you’ll get me to do...”

“I dare you not to give me any embarrassing dares or questions for this entire game,” Nico smirked, silently congratulating himself.

“Nice try, Neeks, but you can’t escape me. Jason, what will you pick?”

“Dare?” Jason replied warily. 

“I dare you to take Nico’s clothes off.”

Percy started laughing uncontrollably, while Jason looked at Nico, seeking permission to carry out his task. Nico supposed that Will had outwitted him, fair and square. “Go ahead, Jason,” he groaned, “but leave my underwear on.”

Despite his mildly disappointed look, Percy continued with the game, looking at Nico. “Truth or dare?”

Figuring that they already had enough dares for the round, Nico chose truth.

“What are your sexual fantasies?”

Nico was glad that Jason was still trying to tug his shirt off - it obscured his scandalized expression. His first thought was to deny having any fantasies at all vehemently, but then he had an idea to get back at Percy. Lowering his voice to a seductive purr and staring straight into Percy’s eyes, he said, “My fantasy is for the three of you to take turns fucking me. You can go first, Perce.”

As expected, Percy’s eyes instantly widened, and he gulped visibly, mouth opening and closing but failing to produce any sound. _Nico one, Percy zero_.

“All in due time, guys,” Jason said, already done with taking Nico’s pants off, “We decided to go slow, remember? Will, I dare you to go get Percy a drink to cool him down before he jumps Nico’s bones.”

To his credit, Will didn’t even protest not being given a choice. “Okay, it’s my turn now,” he declared when he returned with a glass of juice, handing it to Percy. “Jason?”

When Jason chose truth, instead of asking another sex-related question like Nico thought he would, Will’s voice was tinged with uncertainty. “Did you mean it? When you said that you would go with me if I wanted to visit my mom?”

“Of course,” Jason grinned, “Why wouldn’t we?” 

Back in Texas, Jason had briefly explained why Will had been unable to go home for years. Nico knew very well how important mothers were, as did Percy, so he had no doubt that they would be planning a trip to visit Naomi Solace in the near future. He guessed he had zoned out, since the next thing he knew, Will had pounced on Percy and was kissing him. Their movements started out slow and languid, but quickly intensified. Percy grabbed hold of Will’s butt, squeezing and kneading, which elicited a moan from the blond. Nico felt like he should turn away and give them privacy, but when he turned to look at Jason, he found him watching them intently, looking pleased with the result of his dare. If Jason got to watch, Nico supposed he could, too. They were his boyfriends, after all.

Jason was clearly evil; a couple of minutes later, he yelled, “Times’s up!” brandishing Nico’s iPod, which showed zero on the timer. Percy and Will reluctantly scrambled away from each other, faces flushed. Will made a valiant, albeit pointless, effort to cover his tented pants, while Percy didn’t even bother hiding his erection, choosing instead to stare at Jason with a competitive gleam his eye.

“You just wait, Jason. I’ll get my revenge on you,” Percy promised, “just give me a moment to come up with an idea. Nico, you want to go first?” 

Since Jason and Will had already had their turn, he decided to give Percy a question. Sadly, he was absolutely terrible at the game. “Is there anything in particular that you want, Perce?” he finally asked, when he failed to come up with anything better. The others might tease him, but when Valentine’s day came around, he would have the last laugh.

“That’s a really vague question,” Percy mused, “I always wanted to be smarter? Annabeth was never mean about it, but just being around her was a constant reminder of how dumb I am compared to her. Oh, and I always wished my dad would at least check in with me once in a while. He definitely does care for me in his own way, but I’m pretty sure he forgets about my existence if I’m not in the same room as him. I can’t really change either of those things, though, so I’ve just come to accept them, I guess? Well, there’s one thing I want to try, which is to write something like memoirs of my adventures. I don’t know how to start, though, and with my dyslexia, it would probably take me a lifetime to write a single book.” He smiled shyly, seeming surprised that he had said so much. Nico found it endearing. It was nice to learn more about Percy, who had a tendency to hide his innermost feelings under a veneer of his happy-go-lucky personality.

“Well, Nico, truth or dare?”

Figuring that Jason was the one Percy wanted to get revenge on, not him, Nico chose dare. 

“I dare you to give Jason a lap dance.”

“What?” Nico squeaked, instantly regretting his decision, “I don’t even know how to do that.”

It was too late; Percy had already gotten a chair and shoved Jason onto it, while Will found a hip-hop track to blast at full volume. They watched in anticipation as Nico nervously approached Jason. He started slowly, shimmying his hips and skimming his hand down Jason’s chest, trying his best to look seductive. Doing a lap dance was wildly out of his comfort zone, and something he would never have imagined doing in a thousand years. Yet, with the guys, he felt a sense of security; he knew they wouldn’t judge him or make fun of him (too much) if he messed up.

When the chorus started, he tried gyrating his hips, less than an inch away from Jason, but not quite touching. The effect was immediate - Jason was clutching the edges of his seat so hard his fingers were turning white, trying to stop himself from reaching out to touch Nico.

Spurred on by his success, Nico started grinding his butt against Jason’s crotch, losing himself to the music. He heard a whoop from Will. A few seconds later, Jason's patience finally ran out. Nico found himself thrown onto the bed, with Jason leaning over him. His ever considerate boyfriend let him make the first move, which he did by pulling Jason down into a heated kiss. If there was one thing Nico could never get enough of, it was making out with Jason; it was _intoxicating_. If not for the fact that he had to breathe, he would never stop. When he finally had to pause for breath, he took the chance to haphazardly tug off Jason's clothing. 

“Can Percy and Will join?” Jason asked, somewhat breathlessly. 

Nico turned over to look at two guys standing awkwardly beside the bed, eager to move closer but unsure if they should. “What are you waiting for?” He called, before yelping as Jason bit into his neck. He was not looking forward to explaining why he had a hickey to Hades the next day. Then, Percy attacked the other side of his neck while Will's lips met his, and he completely forgot what he was worried about. 

“It’s okay right? Tell us if you need us to stop, Neeks,” Percy said. 

Nico shook his head, “It’s overwhelming, but in a good way.” He tugged at Will’s shirt, but with Jason and Percy pinning him down, he couldn’t get his hands high enough to remove it. Thankfully, Will got the message, removing his shirt himself before proceeding to unclothe Percy. 

Jason rifled through one of their bags, pulling out a half-used bottle of lube. It probably used to belong to Will and Percy, but now, it was _theirs_. “Nico, can I finger you?” Jason purred, gliding his fingers along the curve of Nico's backside to tease him.

“ _Si, puoi fare tutto ciò che vuoi!_ ” Nico found himself yelling, “do anything you want!”

“This might be a bit cold,” Jason warned, before Nico felt a finger probing at his entrance. He hissed at the sensation, but Will quickly distracted him by grazing his tongue over his nipples. With the sensory overload of being simultaneously touched and kissed by all three of them, Nico barely noticed when Jason added a second finger, then a third. Then, he pulled all of them out, making Nico gasp from the sudden feeling of emptiness. Then, surprising all of them, Jason ripped open the foil packet Percy had passed to him earlier, gently putting the condom on Will. 

“What?” Will yelped, eyes wide both from surprise, and the sensation of Jason’s hand sliding down his dick. 

“You know you want to,” Jason replied, “as long as Nico’s okay with it?”

“Yes!” Nico tugged Will towards him, “you’ve been wanting to do this for months right, Sunshine?”

Will looked flustered, but he nodded, sliding his dick up and down Nico’s crack. “You ready?”

Nico gave him a nod, even though he didn’t particularly feel ready - it was his first time, and he was so nervous it felt like there was a whole a swarm of skeletal butterflies in his stomach. When Will finally pushed into him, despite how slowly he moved, it still felt a bit uncomfortable. Without needing any instructions, Will stopped when the pain became unbearable, only pushing in further when it subsided. 

When he stopped feeling any discomfort, Nico gave Will the go-ahead, before tugging Percy down so they could kiss. It was hard to keep their lips together when Will’s thrusts caused his whole body to jerk up and down. They eventually gave up; Percy went to make sure Jason didn’t feel neglected, which let Nico refocus his attention on Will. “You feel so good in me, Will,” he breathed, “don’t hold back.”

His boyfriend let out a guttural moan, speeding up and slamming into Nico with more force. “Look at Percy,” he gasped, “he seems to be enjoying himself.”

With some effort, Nico angled his head to the side, watching Percy bob his head up and down Jason’s dick skillfully. Jason’s eyes were closed in bliss, soft moans escaping his mouth. As he watched them, he felt Will’s movements became faster and less rhythmic, “I love you, Will,” Nico moaned, feeling his own climax building. A few thrusts later, Will came, yelling Nico’s name. Nico followed soon after, his hips jerking upwards as he rode out his orgasm. 

“I love you too,” Will mumbled, pecking Nico on each cheek, then his forehead, then his lips. He pulled out slowly, tying up the condom and tossing it away, before returning with some tissues. He snuggled into Nico’s side, both of them lazily watching as Percy finished Jason off, swallowing his cum without even a flinch. Jason trotted over and draped himself over Will, stealing some of the tissues. A minute later, Percy returned after washing his hands, playfully flicking water droplets at them.

”You dork,” Will chastised fondly, “I love you. And before you start complaining, I love you too, Jason.”

That was how things went for the rest of the night - they were a sappy, giggly bundle of warmth, exchanging kisses and declarations of love until they eventually fell asleep. Nico had to admit, having a foursome was a surprising amount of work, but their first time had been remarkably successful. There were still so many other things they could do; he couldn’t wait for the next time.


	42. Forsooth (adv.) indeed/ in truth (often used ironically)

Annabeth knew she was having a nightmare. The scene was startlingly familiar; ever since she broke up with Percy, she had reviewed the dream in her head time after time. In every direction, as far as she could see, she was surrounded by an expanse of lush grassland, a veritable sea of green that made her think of the plains of Marathon. Beneath her feet, a gravel path stretched for what seemed like miles behind her, branching out in three directions in front of her.

When Hecate appeared, Annabeth could tell that she wasn’t real. Despite looking exactly identical to the goddess, dream Hecate lacked the distinctive aura of magical power.

“Lady Hecate,” Annabeth inclined her head respectfully. She had no control over her actions; it was as if she was watching a movie from within her own head.

“Astute as always, daughter of Athena,” came the reply, a gentle lilt with a semblance of an echo. “It is for this very reason that I am here,” the goddess continued, “A dear friend of mine has requested that I assist, for it is easier for me to do so unnoticed. We gods are a frivolous bunch, and it has come to our attention that some of us are unjustly meddling in the affairs of mortals. The information that I will present to you might serve to right that wrong.”

Annabeth tried to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to see, but when Hecate waved her hand, causing three soundless, moving images to appear in the mist, she still flinched. In front of her were the same three scenes that had changed the course of her life...

The first was an image of the boy she loved, sprawled on the ground. A sword was pierced through his abdomen, his sea green eyes rolled back and unseeing. Annabeth didn’t need to see the pool of blood around Percy to know that he was dead.

The second also contained Percy, but there was another figure beneath him, writhing as Percy ravished his neck and grinded against him. Nico di Angelo. The first time she had seen the image, Annabeth had been hit by a sharp and ugly pang of jealousy, but she had come to accept it over time. Percy was no longer hers. She had made the choice, because she loved him enough to break his heart and send him directly into the arms of someone else.

The third, unsurprisingly, also depicted Percy, but was different in the fact that she was also in it. He was calling out to her, desperate for her to respond, but the mist version of Annabeth simply looked back in confusion and disdain, as if she had no clue who he was. She just kept walking away, until she vanished from the mist-screen, Percy trailing after her. Even watching it the second time, Annabeth felt like throwing up - they had gone through something like this once, having Percy taken from her, his memory erased, but even then he had not forgotten her. What she had just seen was… worse.

“Watch carefully, child, for any of these could happen,” Hecate informed, watching her with an unreadable expression. The thick, swirling mist engulfed the images, and Annabeth finally managed to tear her eyes away, looking at the goddess in alarm.

“But the power of prophecy, the Oracle... ” she stuttered. She had tried to piece together the pieces of the story, to understand how each action led to each consequence, and why Hecate had chosen to show her the options in the first place. As with anything to do with prophecies and seeing the future, it was a paradox that just left her with a giant headache.

“I don’t see the future, only possibilities. You must choose carefully. Do you know what each of these represents?”

“One is what would happen if I do nothing. Another is what would happen if I leave Percy. The last is...” she paused, even though she already knew the answer.

“The last is if you tell anyone about what I am showing you,” Hecate concluded for her, looking sympathetic. “I am truly sorry that I can only allow you to choose the lesser evil. May the fates show mercy to you, young Annabeth.”

She awoke with a gasp, her breath coming in short pants, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Why did she suddenly have the same dream again? The sensation of a foreign object in her hand gave her the answer. Switching on the light, she found that she was holding another postcard, with the same picture of crossroads on one side, and the same elegant scrawl on the other.

“It’s over now. You are free to speak, but please exercise discretion. -H.” She put the card down, and it vanished in a puff of cotton-like mist. Instantly, a plan began forming in her head. She knew that she wouldn’t get Percy back, but at the very least, she owed him the truth.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Percy was in a terrific mood when they left the Underworld; he had spent the past few days having all kinds of _fun_ with his boyfriends, Hades had actually been decent to him (not a single death threat!), he had gotten to take a tour of the underworld, and had even played with Cerberus. Charon took them on a leisurely ferry ride up the River Styx, dropping them off at DOA Recording Studios.

So, when Annabeth ambushed them the moment they set foot in Camp Jupiter, Percy found himself feeling conflicted; as much as he was glad to see her, he was still bitter about them breaking up. Will somehow picked up on the mess of emotions swirling inside him, since Percy heard a whisper behind him, and Will was suddenly holding his hand, while Jason put his arm on Percy’s shoulder. Annabeth didn’t even look surprised. She simply took Piper’s hand in hers, interlocking their fingers. Percy didn’t even get to whine about her shoving her new relationship in his face - he did it first, in a way.

“You didn’t even tell Annie and I that you were in town,” Piper complained, actually looking hurt.

“We were only here for a couple of days. You had classes, so we didn’t want to disturb you.” Percy replied. Piper might fall for the excuse, but Annabeth’s frown showed that she knew the truth - that Percy _was_ avoiding her.

“Well, that’s why we came back here instead of heading directly to Half-Blood,” Nico explained diplomatically, “We wanted to spend some time with everyone here.”

“If that’s the case, do you mind heading to our place?” Annabeth asked, “There’s something that I want to talk to you about.”

Jason, Nico and Will exchanged a three-way glance before turning to Percy, which meant that they were letting him choose.

Percy decided to give Annabeth a chance. They walked in relative silence, with Jason and Piper making small talk, while Nico sized up Annabeth and she did the same to him. Will didn’t say anything, but at least he didn’t let go of Percy’s hand.

The second they stepped into the apartment, Annabeth’s demeanor changed completely. Instead of being cold and businesslike, she offered them an apologetic smile, “Sorry I had to make you guys come here, but I really needed to make sure we had as much privacy as possible,” she explained, “Pipes and I asked Hazel and Amaritia, a daughter of Hecate, come over to do every cloaking spell they could think of. I even prayed to Lady Hecate herself. Hopefully, no one will be listening in.” It was obvious who those 'ones' were; Percy’s life had been full of one meddling god after another.

“Rumors have trickled down that the queen of the gods is taking an unplanned vacation. Is that true?”

Percy nodded, not sure what Annabeth was trying to convey.

“Well, she wasn’t the only one trying to change your fate. I don’t know the full list, but at least three or more of them were involved. Some, like her, were scared that you would be too powerful when united. Some may have had a personal grudge, and I’m sorry to say, Nico, but I’m fairly certain one of them just likes making you suffer.”

Nico let out a frustrated huff. “That bastard just doesn’t give me a break, does he?”

“Love can be a pain sometimes, Nico,” Piper said, grimacing at the thought, “but I think that it will be worth it in the end.”

“Definitely,” Nico replied, with a pensive smile.

“Of course, there were gods trying to help you too,” Annabeth continued, “I’m just guessing this, but Nico’s stepmother probably knew what was happening, and sent one of her friends to warn me. She couldn’t do anything too direct or obvious, so she found a roundabout way. I never wanted to break up with you, Percy. I only did it because you would die otherwise.”

She gave him some time to process what she said and respond, but all he could do was stare at her in shock. Everything he believed had just been completely flipped upside down. He had spent months feeling miserable because Annabeth had woken up one day and decided that she didn’t love him anymore, but the thought that she had been forced to break up with him hadn’t even crossed his mind once.

“Why?” He finally asked.

Instead of answering him, Annabeth replied with a question of her own, “Could you tell me about what happened during your quest? I should have asked earlier, but I was too eager to finally tell Percy the truth.”

Thankfully, his boyfriends immediately launched into a surprisingly detailed recount of what had happened, giving him some time to sort out his feelings. He knew that there would be no fairytale ending - even if Annabeth still loved him, they both had others whom they were committed to. The fact of the matter was that they had dated for two years, and had been friends for seven. No longer dating Annabeth was something Percy could deal with, but losing her altogether felt like losing a part of himself.

“So, the last I heard of Python, after Apollo put it to sleep, it shrunk down to to the size of a regular snake. We left it in the underworld, and my dad just tossed it into the pit.” Nico finished. Annabeth glanced at Percy when she realized that like them, Nico still couldn’t bring himself to say the word ‘Tartarus’.

“Hmm,” she mused, “as screwed up as it that sounds, us breaking up probably did save your life. If you weren’t dating Will, I don’t think he would have gone on the quest with you guys, and he wouldn’t be able to heal you. Plus, as nice as Nico’s father may be, he most likely wouldn’t have saved your life if you weren’t in love with Nico.”

“I suppose,” Percy said reluctantly, “wait, how did you know that I’m in love with Nico?”

Piper laughed, “Given how obvious you are, I’m pretty sure everyone knew that, maybe except for the two of you.”

“I know now,” Nico deadpanned, somewhat bitterly.

“So, what do we do now?” Percy asked.

“What do you want to do?” Annabeth responded, her gray eyes glinting.

“Can I kiss you?” Percy glanced at his boyfriends to see if they had any objections, but Will just made a shooing motion as if to say ‘get on with it’. Nico seemed to be wiping a tear from his eye.

Annabeth stared at him for a long while. From experience, Percy knew that her expression meant that she was calculating the probability that letting him have what he wanted would result in a catastrophe. Then, Piper gave her a little nudge, and for the first time in four months, Percy was kissing Annabeth again. It was exactly how he remembered it; her lips were soft, and she smelled faintly of vanilla. It was him who had changed. Annabeth was still beautiful and he still loved her, but the flames of passion had been doused, and replaced with the warm embers of friendship.

When Annabeth pulled away, she was grinning, the same way she did whenever she tested a hypothesis and realized that she was correct. “Best friends?” she asked.

“Best friends,” Percy affirmed. He pulled her in for a hug, glad that it felt perfectly natural.

Because they were best friends and all, Percy figured that they should spend the rest of the day hanging out together. Piper brought out a pile of board games that she had apparently been hoarding since Christmas. They tried playing Risk, but after a few rounds, it devolved into a one-on-one battle between Nico and Annabeth. Monopoly was worse - Nico ended up with more money than all of them put together, even with Piper charmspeaking her way out of paying for anything. Eventually, they settled on Twister, since everyone had an equal probability of ending up in a humiliating position.

Percy found that he didn’t particularly care what game they were playing, as long as they were having fun, swapping banter, and laughing at each other. Annabeth was important to him, and having her back in his life, even as a friend, meant the world to him. Besides, she had Piper, and Percy had to admit that they made a pretty cute couple. Not as cute as him and his guys, of course, but close. His life had been full of ups and downs, but Percy had finally come to a conclusion; even if he had the chance, Percy wouldn’t change a single thing.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nico was in a fairly good mood when they returned to Jason’s villa (it seemed more like _their villa_ , actually). He had utterly obliterated everyone in board games, survived Annabeth’s cooking, and most importantly, Percy was happier than they had seen him in months.

Naturally, since the fates hated him, he found the one god who could ruin his mood lounging in the living room, waiting for them to get back.

“What are you doing here?” Nico hissed, reaching for his sword instinctively.

“Calm down, demigodling,” Eros said lazily, not even bothering to open his eyes, “I just came to chat. Oh, and congratulate you, I suppose. The four of you have survived all kinds of adversity, and your love had only grown stronger. I must admit, I’m impressed.”

Jason narrowed his eyes, stepping in front of Nico protectively, “What do you want from us?” he growled.

Eros opened his blood-red eyes to give Jason a dry look, before closing them again. “Remember when you smashed the shrine that Jason here so graciously constructed for me, Nico? I was infuriated. Sure, I had teased you a bit back in Split, but you got Diocletian's scepter in return. That was only fair. So, I cursed you to be unable to see love forevermore, just like my dear Psyche was unable to see me. You would never realize how much those around you loved you, no matter what they did. Yet, by rebuilding my shrine so nicely, you made me change my mind. To make things interesting, I put in a catch. You see, Nico, love is all about sacrifice. Look at the way Percy sacrificed his life for yours. Jason willingly jumped into the river Cocytus, Will endured terrifying nightmares, and your parents sacrificed their freedom, all for you. I changed the curse such that you would only realize their love for you if you saw their sacrifice.”

As much as Nico wanted to reject Eros’ explanation, it made perfect sense. Still, he hated that one curse had changed the course of his life so much, without him even realizing. There were so many sacrifices that he hadn’t seen; all the things his sisters must have done behind the scenes to ensure his safety and happiness. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a sudden urge to go around hugging everyone and telling them that he loved them too.

Before he could do that, Eros had floated off the couch, drifting towards them. “The sweetest love is the one earned through hardship,” he sang, “the four of you have my blessing, and the curse is lifted. You can now go fuck like rabbits, or whatever it is that you do.” The winged god started glowing, and in the time that it took for Nico to blink, he was gone.

He instantly felt Will’s arms wrapping around him, providing him with the comfort he needed. “It’s okay,” Will breathed, “at least, now we know it’s not entirely your fault that you’re a dense idiot.”

That got a laugh out of Nico. “I’m okay,” he assured, “we’re together now, and that’s what matters. All I want to do now is cuddle with my boyfriends, if that’s okay with you?”

He was glad to find that they had no objections whatsoever.


	43. Promise (v./n.) to declare or assure that one will do something/ ground for expectation of success, improvement, or excellence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is pretty much completed at this point, but if there's anything you'd like to see happen or any gaps in the plot, please comment them down below! I'll try to squeeze it into the last chapter :D

“Guys, it’s time for us to go,” Jason called. They had spent the few spare hours they had before they needed to set out for Sally and Paul’s at the woods near Zeus’ fist. Percy was sitting in the shade of a tree, with Nico resting comfortably on his lap, diligently taking down every word every word he said as he narrated the story of Bessie the Ophiotaurus. Jason had to admit, Percy was a good storyteller. Nico’s Valentine’s Day gift to him - helping him write his memoirs - would be put to good use. One would think that after all Cupid had done to him, Nico would absolutely loathe Valentine’s Day, but all of them had received amazing gifts from him, nothing like the chocolate or flowers that they had gotten him in return. Since Jason was always complaining that he couldn’t wear the other guys’ clothes but they kept stealing his, Nico had bought himself, Will and Percy an array of baggy sweaters. None of them technically belonged to Jason, but it was common knowledge that they would all find their way into his closet sooner or later. Will had gotten a bottle of massage oil that doubled as lube, and he certainly had a field day with it. Nico was certainly the most thoughtful boyfriend ever.

“Hey,” Will murmured, appearing by Jason’s side, “aren’t our boyfriends the cutest?” 

“All of you are adorable,” Jason replied cheekily, giving him a peck on the lips. Over the past month or so, he and Will had slowly grown more comfortable with each other, exploring their boundaries and being as sappy as they pleased. The rift between them, that had seemed to stretch for miles not so long ago, had all but vanished. 

Will groaned in protest, but he still leaned against Jason, both of them listening to Percy’s narration. He had just finished his story and was about to move on to the next one when Jason called, “Your mom is waiting for you, Perce!”

Percy gently set Nico down on the ground, before leaping up and making a mad dash for their cabin.

“We already packed for you,” Will informed him with a smug grin, stopping him in his tracks. He tossed Percy the backpack, chuckling at the way Percy nearly ran to the boundary of camp, urging Nico to hurry up and summon Jules Albert to take them to the Upper East Side.

Choosing to ignore Percy’s energetic bouncing, Nico commented, “It’s hard to believe that it’s already been five months since we last visited Sally. It seems like we just got back to camp yesterday, and Jason got punched by Leo.”

“I’m still bitter over the fact that my ‘welcome back’ was a punch, but you got a hug from Alice and Percy got a hug from Calypso,” Jason grumbled. Then again, he supposed he deserved it, and he should at least be glad that Leo hadn’t set him on fire.

They hadn’t kept their relationship a secret, and despite Chiron’s insistence that they had to stay in their respective cabins, once night fell, they would inevitably end up in Nico’s. Hades didn't seem to mind - all he did was tell Nico to warn him in advance if things got heated, so he could look away. (“There are things that a father would have no wish to see his son doing.”) The other campers, for the most part, were fairly accepting. Despite how uncommon polyamorous relationships were, save for a few snide remarks and whispered comments, the campers didn’t treat them any differently. The only exceptions were Leo, and the Apollo cabin, who teased them mercilessly, (that was their way of showing their affection, so Jason secretly thought it was sweet). Nico had tried explaining their relationship to Alice; she didn’t seem to understand any of it, but she adored them all the same, so they had left it at that. 

When the car pulled in, Percy whooped, jumping into the backseat and yelling, “I call not shotgun!” Being the magnanimous boyfriend that he was, Jason volunteered to take the front seat. He spent the ride amusedly watching them fool around like the elementary school kids they were through the rearview mirror. 

Percy’s reaction when he was Sally saw downright comical - he tried to jump at her like he usually did, remembered that she was pregnant at the last second, swerved, and promptly face-planted. Will tried to pull him up, but they were both laughing so much that he just got pulled down as well. They decided to stay on the floor, giggling maniacally. Jason rolled his eyes at his boyfriends’ antics, gave Sally a sideways hug to avoid her baby bump, before going over to check if they were okay. Percy had saved the world more times than anyone could count; he had every right to act like a child if he wanted to. The sad truth was that most demigods were forced to mature too early, and were left clutching at the remains of their childhood. Perhaps that was why Jason found their mannerisms oddly endearing. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you mean, you didn’t tell her?” Nico hissed, staring at Percy in disbelief.

“It’s not easy, okay?” Percy protested, “I have to tell her that I’m bi, and I’m dating the three of you, and we’re moving in together… It’s a lot, you know?”

Will’s hand was on Percy’s thigh, so he could feel his boyfriend’s growing agitation. “It’s fine, Perce, you can tell them when you feel you’re ready,” he soothed, “I’m sure your mom and Paul will understand that. Probably a good idea to tone down on the flirting with Jason if you don’t want them to figure it out, though.”

“I do not flirt with Jason,” Percy protested, crossing his arms and pouting at Will. 

“Oh, but you totally do, babe,” Jason laughed, walking into the room and depositing the spare mattress on the floor, “So, who’s sleeping with who tonight?”

“If you want to sleep with me, all you have to do is ask, Sparky,” Percy replied instantly, batting his eyelashes seductively, before he murmured, “Oh shit, I do flirt with Jason.” The tips of his ears were pink, but he was thankfully saved from Will’s teasing when Sally called them down for dinner.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Umm... Mom, Paul, there’s something I need to tell you,” Percy said. They were lounging on the couch after the meal; Percy and Will were cuddling on the loveseat while Jason and Nico did the dishes (they refused to let Sally do any chores when she was almost in her third trimester). 

“You’re dating Will?” Paul guessed, “Wait, that can’t be right, I saw Will kissing Nico just now…”

Will let out a startled squeak and hid his face in Percy’s sleeve. He _had not_ known that Paul had seen that.

“No, silly, the four of them are dating each other,” Sally corrected, “Right, Percy?”

Percy’s heart-rate returned to normal as his initial surprise turned to relief. “Yeah, how did you know?”

“Mother’s intuition,” was her unforthcoming reply, “you know that I’m not going to judge you, or tell you how to live your life, right? Honestly, I think you guys are way too adorable. I’m just glad that they can make you happy.”

Nico came out out the kitchen, grinning at Percy and giving him a quick peck on the lips. “Thanks, Sally,” he said, giving her a hug. “He deserves all the happiness he can get.”

Paul muted the television, turning to them, “Wait, so how does all of this work? You don’t need to go into the details, but I’m just curious.”

“Well, it's not very different from a normal relationship, except that there’s four of us.” Jason explained, drying his hands on a paper towel before draping one arm over Will’s shoulder and the other over Percy’s, “We just have to make sure to communicate how we feel and be attentive to what each other needs, perhaps more so than the average relationship? It helps that Will can basically read our minds,” he laughed.

“I totally don’t read your mind, Jason, it’s just that you’re too predictable,” Will countered, “but yeah, I think the most important thing is that we’re all happy.” 

After a few more questions, Paul and Sally decided to retire for the night, so the guys decided to do the same. It wasn’t until they were done preparing for bed, that Will realized that it was two hours before their usual bedtime, and none of them could fall asleep. Unperturbed, Nico rifled in his backpack the book he had brought, hopped onto Percy’s dresser and started reading. 

“Nico...” Percy whined, “I’m bored, entertain me...”

“Nope,” Nico replied, without taking his eyes off his Italian classic, “go compete with Jason for Will’s affection.” He glanced down, trying to hide a sly grin. 

Unaware of Nico’s intention, Percy turned to Jason, “I bet I can make him moan louder than you can, Sparky,” he taunted, nudging Jason away and capturing Will’s lips with his own. Will could feel the anticipation and excitement thrumming through him.

Never one to step away from a challenge when it came to Percy, Jason simply huffed, “I doubt that, Kelp Head,” he countered, “I can pleasure him better.” They moved in sync; Jason nibbled on Will’s ear while Percy sucked a hickey onto his neck.

“And I don’t get any say in this?” Will complained, making them both stop immediately. “Actually, keep on doing that,” he moaned, angling his head back to give them a better angle,“ it feels really good.” 

The competition was on. Jason tugged off his shirt, while Percy working on the button on his pants. After that, Will found himself maneuvered into a kneeling position, so Percy could suck his dick while Jason fingered him.

“Tell us, Sunshine,” Jason asked, “who do you want?”

Will didn’t particularly mind either way. He looked up to check on Nico, who was watching them attentively but didn’t seem inclined to join in. “You sure?” he mouthed, to with Nico gave a nod, and a ‘go ahead’ gesture. 

“I want to be in the middle,” Will declared. That was one of his deep-seated fantasies - being the ham in that demigod sandwich. He let out a little giggle at the thought.

Percy gave the tip of his cock one last lick before getting up. “That can be arranged… Top or bottom, Sparky?”

Apparently, Percy liked to call Jason by his nickname during sex. Will cataloged that bit of information, as well as the way Jason bit his lip in response, to analyze later. 

His boyfriends stared at each other for an intense moment, but instead of wrestling each other for topping privileges like Will expected them too, they started playing rock-paper-scissors.

Despite Nico’s snort of amusement from across the room, when Percy lost, he allowed Jason to push him onto his back without a single complaint. “Here,” he told Will, passing him a condom and a tube of lube, “go ahead.”

While Will prepped Percy, Jason kissed him passionately, distracting him from any discomfort. After some time, Percy finally decided he was ready, pushing Jason away and beckoning for Will to come closer. As he pushed into his boyfriend, Will took in the way that Percy was spread out on the bed in full naked glory, eyes shut tight and mouth slightly open in pleasure. “How do you two manage to be the world's biggest dorks, but also the sexiest men alive?” he groaned, pulling out and aiming for Percy’s prostate as he rammed in again, earning a loud moan in response. 

“It’s part of our charm,” Jason laughed in his ear, “You ready, Will?”

Will nodded, slowing his movements so that Jason could slide his dick into him. When Jason’s body was flush against his, he felt fuller than he had ever felt in his life. Then, after checking that he was okay, Jason began thrusting. Will barely needed to move; the force of the other blond’s movements propelled him deep into Percy, eliciting moans from them both. Just before his orgasm could wash over him, Will had an idea. “Slow down, Jason,” he called, Southern lilt coming out more pronounced than usual, “shallow thrusts.” He stalled in Percy for a moment, causing him to whine in displeasure. “Patience, love.” Will murmured, wrapping his hand around Percy’s dick and stroking slowly.

Once the timing was right, Will said, “Don’t hold back, Jace.” Just as he expected, after a few more minutes of Jason pounding into him, all three of them came at pretty much the same time, each others’ names on the tip of their tongues. They remained where they were, too exhausted to move. 

“Guys, that was beautiful to watch,” Nico remarked, moving over and passing some tissue paper to Jason, before wiping down Percy’s chest with a towel. 

“Why didn’t you join us?” Will asked, “was it because you knew this would happen?”

“Partially,” Nico admitted with a smirk, “but also because it feels weird doing that when Percy’s parents are right across the hall. Give me a bit of time, and I’ll probably get used to it.” 

Considering that they were going to be staying the for the rest of the week, Will predicted that Nico would last at most one day before he gave in. Instead of pointing that out, he gave each of them a kiss, before saying, “You’re all awesome and I love you.”

He couldn't stop himself from grinning like a fool when they responded with their own declarations of love, and kisses.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, I don’t see any problems whatsoever. You should probably get a bit more vitamin D, so try taking cod liver oil, or going out in the sun more. Apart from that, I’m sure you’ll give birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl in about ten weeks time.” Will informed as he finished his inspection. 

“Oh,” Percy said, “she’s a girl?”

“Yeah,” Sally confirmed, “Paul and I discussed a few names, and we’d like to name her Bianca. Nico, Percy already explained the significance of the name to me, so I wanted to check with you first if it’s alright.” She took his hand gently, pressing it against the swell of her belly, “would you be okay with us naming her in honor of your sister?”

“The Bianca I knew is gone,” Nico said slowly, “She already reincarnated and took on a new identity. I think she would understand that we’re not trying to replace her, but honoring her memory. She would be happy to give her name to your daughter,” he grinned at Sally, “Plus, now I have an excuse to dote on her as much as I want.”

“Wow, I can’t believe how unbelievably spoilt this child is going to be,” Paul laughed, lightening the somber mood, “You guys are going to come visit often, right?”

“We will probably be busy with our GED, as well as visiting Will’s mother, and Nico’s dad and stepmother in the next few months,” Jason said, “but we’ll make sure to be here when she is born.” 

“And after that, we’ll probably visit more often,” Will added with a smirk, “knowing Percy, he’ll want to move in once he catches sight of his baby sister.”

Percy’s protests fell on deaf ears - they all knew Will was right. The months to follow were certainly going to be eventful, but there was one thing Will was certain of; he was looking forward to experiencing them together with his boyfriends.


	44. Eucatastrophe (n.) a favorable resolution of events in a story; a happy ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally over! Sorry this last chapter took so long, I wasn't sure how to end the story. A more detailed author's note is on the next page if you want to read it, if not, thank you so much for reading and commenting! <3

Percy was the one who had originally come up with the idea of moving to New Rome. Understandably, the others had been concerned; it was a dream once shared by Annabeth and Percy, one that had meant so much to them.

As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about. Percy had gotten cold feet once or twice, but quickly regained his confidence with some encouragement. Annabeth had been supportive, even offering to tutor them over Iris-Message. Everything had gone smoothly; they had all been accepted to New Rome’s University despite missing the application deadline (being well-known heroes had its perks). Chiron even said that they could return to camp as instructors the following summer. Percy was one year late, Jason was the usual college age, and both Will and Nico were one year early. It all lined up such that they could start their first year of college at the same time.

Looking at the empty state of his cabin, Jason was suddenly struck by the reality of the situation - they were _moving in together_. It would be at least another half a year before he would see the statue of his father again (thank the gods). Perhaps sharing an apartment was a big step, considering how they had barely been dating for six months. Still, life as a demigod was unpredictable and dangerous; if Jason were to suddenly be murdered by a monster, he wanted to be able to claim that he had enjoyed his life to the fullest.

Thankfully, Jules Albert had appeared with a moving van; Percy had insisted on carting his fountain to New Rome with him, despite Nico’s protests that it would not fit into their apartment. By the time they had loaded up all their possessions, there was scarcely any space left for them.

“Where’s everyone?” Jason asked as they crossed the perimeter of New Rome, “Even if Hazel and Frank are busy, Reyna’s retired now. I thought she’d want to see Nico.”

“Well, once we’re done checking the apartment, we can go see what she’s doing,” Nico offered, summoning a platoon of skeletons to help them carry the boxes.

Jason had an idea of what to expect when Will opened the door to their new apartment; they had been to the place to take a look back in April, when it had been completely unfurnished. What greeted him was a completely different sight - there were streamers draped everywhere, confetti-filled balloons strung to the ceiling, and even a banner that said, ‘Welcome to your new home!’. Most importantly, all of their friends were waiting for them in the living room.

“What’s going on?” Jason gasped in shock, taking a tentative step forward, “Why's everyone here?”

“Are you forgetting something?” Will laughed, “What’s today’s date?”

“The first of July, of course. We’ve had this day marked on the calendar since… Wait, it’s my birthday, isn’t it? Oh, Thals,” he sighed, as his sister stalked across the room, wrapping him in a tight embrace, “It’s been way too long”

“I’ve missed you too, Jaybird,” she replied.

“Hey, no love for the Super-sized McShizzle?” Leo complained, “We had to fly here on Festus to get here before you guys.”

Jason indulged him with a hug, before immediately turning back to Thalia, “How did you manage to get here?”

“Your boyfriends called Lady Artemis to request leave for me,” Thalia explained with a grin, “by the way, guys, she said that you can consider the favor she owes you repaid. If you try to bother her again, she’ll turn you into deer and send her hunters after you.”

“Noted,” Percy gulped, “but isn’t this great? Thalia will be here for five days, so make the most of your time with her.”

Jason couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. He immediately caught sight of Nico’s concerned expression, and felt Will’s arm around his shoulder, subtly checking if he was okay. “Don’t worry, guys,” he choked out, “I’m just… so happy. I know that I usually hate the word ‘perfect’, but right now, I can’t think of any other word to describe my life.” Raising his voice slightly, he said, “Thank you, everyone. For being the best family I could ever ask for.” 

Knowing his boyfriend all too well, Jason braced himself to get tackled by Percy. He managed to hold his ground, lifting Percy into the air instead of falling over. 

“We love you too, Jace,” Percy whispered. Will and Nico both tiptoed to place a kiss on Jason’s cheek, before going over to talk to Reyna and Julien. 

In a moment, Jason would catch up with his friends, enjoy the food they prepared, open his gifts, and move the rest of their possessions into their new home. But not yet, because with Percy in his arms, all warm and cuddly and loving, Jason knew without a doubt that he was the luckiest guy on the planet. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“If loving you is a dream, I never want to wake up,” Will sighed contentedly. 

Nico chuckled, reaching over Percy to jab him playfully, “At first I thought you were only this sappy after sex, but I’m beginning to realize that it’s a permanent state.” It had been a long and exciting day, and they had all been too tired to do much other than cuddle in bed. 

“Hey,” Will protested, “Just a year ago, Percy was still dating Annabeth, Jason was still with Piper, I was still pining over you, and you were still stuck in your shell. But look where we are now - we just moved in together, and we’ll be starting college soon. You can’t blame me for feeling that this is all so surreal.”

“Will,” Jason said, a smile lighting his face, but his tone serious, “This is real. We’re here with you. If not even the gods, not even death, can tear us apart, rest assured that we’re not leaving you anytime soon.”

“This is just the first chapter in the story of our life together,” Percy mumbled. He hummed contentedly as Nico leaned in to kiss him. 

Nico agreed wholeheartedly. He still didn’t understand how he deserved to have such all-around amazing boyfriends, but the fact was that they were _his_. His life had been a series of unpredictable changes for the past year or so, but he was glad - the four of them might not be together otherwise. Nico’s last thought before he fell asleep was ‘I love them’. He didn’t have to say it out loud - they already knew.


	45. Author's note

**Authors Note:**  
I first came across the idea of this OT4 in June of 2016, when I read Mel-Chan’s fics. Polyamory was quite a new concept to me, admittedly, but with the way they wrote it, the guys just fit together so well At that time, there were scarcely any other stories with Jason/Percy/Will/Nico, so I decided to add to the tag. When I first started writing this fic nearly one year ago, I had no idea that it would take quite so long to complete; between school and other commitments, one chapter a week was the maximum speed I could achieve. The Hidden Oracle had just been released at that time, and while some of the plot points and names are a nod to that, the Trials of Apollo series is completely unrelated to this story in every other way. I meant for this book to be a continuation of Blood of Olympus, a less heteronormative what-if scenario, in a sense. The personalities of the characters are heavily drawn from Rick Riordan's original series, but also the more popular fanfics that inspired me. This series was written with other people around my age in mind (late teens, 17-19 years old). I didn’t shy away from more mature themes and concepts, perhaps more so than the original series, because I believe that it would make the story more realistic and relatable. I didn’t have much idea of how the plot of the story would go at first - I just knew that the four guys would eventually end up together. However, as the plot slowly began to take shape, I had in mind three major themes that I wanted to explore.

**Themes**

_Change_  
As the title suggests, change is an important part of this fic. Throughout the story, there are two major forms of change - change in circumstance, as well as change in character. “Change is the only constant.” Like it or not, some relationships will come to an end, and one may be forced out of their comfort zone. Some changes are more obvious, like Annabeth breaking up with Percy - the characters spend the first quarter of the fic dealing with the effects of that. Other changes are more subtle. Jason and Percy having sex changed their relationship dynamic permanently - their bro-ey pretense began to fall apart. However, it is not the change that matters, but how the characters deal with the change, that makes a difference. Percy and Will recognized that their dynamic was no longer the same, and were more open to trying new things, whereas Nico and Jason were less willing to give up the security of a more conventional relationship, especially since they still had issues to work out. With regard to character changes, Nico had one of the most noticeable changes throughout the course of the narrative. Initially, his character is seen to be shy and reserved but with the reassurance and the encouragement of the others, he eventually becomes more confident and expressive. Similarly Will struggled with feeling helpless, since he is unable to fight, but, at the most crucial moment, he was able to take control of the situation and save Percy’s life (albeit at the cost of his own). Perhaps one of the less noticeable changes is how Jason gets over his jealousy, which would serve as a major obstacle to their relationship, ultimately tempering it into a more manageable protectiveness. The progression of the characters through their growth and development is crucial to the story, and for the guys to eventually have the happy ending that they wish for, and deserve.

 _Choice_  
Many characters in the story make choices, and for better or worse, deal with the consequences of their decisions. Ultimately it is Jason's choice to confess to Nico; he could have continued keeping it a secret, but it would have just made things harder for everyone in the long run. Similarly, it is his choice to run away from Camp Half-Blood, which he ultimately realizes is a mistake. On the other hand, many characters have choice taken away from them. As Percy famously says, "Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood". None of them chose the life they have - one where they are constantly threatened by monsters and manipulated by gods - but it's what they are stuck with. All they can do is make the best of it. One of the pivotal points of the story is when Percy and Jason are forced to have sex by Ganymede and Cupid (on Hera's orders, as she thought that would cause Jason and Nico to break up). Thankfully, Jason and Percy aren't particularly traumatized, since they kind of wanted to do it anyway, but as the other characters point out, it was an absolutely horrific thing to do, and not acceptable under any circumstances. This is further compounded by the illusion of choice. The story starts with Annabeth being given three choices when realistically there is only one path she could take. One part of Greek mythology that I always found interesting is the existence of the morai, or fates. When one's entire life is predetermined, how could they possibly have freedom of choice? What are the implications for us, if our universe is deterministic? These are questions that are not easily answered.

 _Sacrifice_  
Cupid states that love is all about sacrifice and at first glance, it might seem to be the case. The story is littered with multiple instances of this. Most notably, Percy sacrifices his life for Nico, honoring his promise to protect the latter. Naturally, not all sacrifices are as grand, but they are nonetheless important, such as Will giving up having a close relationship with his mother in order to protect her. In my opinion, the most significant sacrifice in the story is Annabeth giving up Percy; it has a permanent impact. If not for the circumstances of Percy falling for the guys and Annabeth falling for Piper, they probably would have gotten back together after the truth was revealed, but as it turned out, that wasn't the case. Ultimately, I believe that sacrifice should stem from love, not the other way around. The characters in the story do not make sacrifices to obtain the love of others; they do so because they love each other unconditionally, and value the other more than anything, even their own life. Ultimately, it is a combination of their sacrifices and hard work to communicate their feelings, that will make their relationship a strong, stable and lasting one.

 **Literary/Stylistic Devices**  
I used a third person point of view, but generally follow the perspective a particular character, similar to the Heroes of Olympus series. This allows for a level of separation between the reader and the characters, while still gaining insight into the feelings and thoughts of the demigods.  
Most of the chapter titles fall into two categories - obscure words, or words with double meanings. Quite a few words are from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Whether they are 'real' words or not is an ongoing debate, but I felt that some were suitable for the mood of the chapter, so I put them in!  
The plot structure relies heavily on parallels: The dream sequence with Hecate, Annabeth's confrontation with Percy, the guys visiting Sally, going to the underworld, and more are all repeated, but with a different context.

 **Coming Out**  
It is shown in House of Hades and Blood of Olympus that Nico is deeply uncomfortable with his sexuality, perhaps in part due to the society he grew up in, as well as his lack of self-esteem. I'd like to believe that all his friends are supportive and accepting, allowing him to feel more comfortable with that part of himself. Jason is headcanon-ed as demisexual in quite a lot of fanwork I read, which is in line with his personality - he hates being judged for his appearance, and likely wouldn't do that to others in the same way. While his relationship with Nico is seen as platonic/friendly in Blood of Olympus, he is shown to be very enthusiastic about getting to know him better, a feeling that could translate into something more as they become closer friends. I don't think Will would have many qualms about being gay, seeing as Apollo is bisexual and his siblings likely represent a diversity of sexual orientations. As a doctor, and someone who has had longer to come to terms with who he is, it is likely that he would be the one to educate Nico (and to a lesser degree, Jason and Percy) about sexual health and other matters. Lastly, Percy is shown to be very much attracted to Annabeth in the books. However, when framed in a different perspective, he pretty much had the same romantic interest since he was twelve. It is possible that with all his attention channeled towards Annabeth, he could remain oblivious to any other feelings of attraction, not fully understanding his capacity to be attracted to guys until he breaks up with Annabeth. One of the things I did struggle with was breaking Percabeth up - their relationship is clearly very strong and loving, and I couldn't imagine them splitting up on their own accord. I like to think that some part of Percy's heart will always belong to Annabeth, and they would maintain a very close, even quasi-romantic relationship despite no longer being a couple.  
With regard to the guys coming out to parents and family, I feel that the Greek pantheon would see it as something perfectly normal. While some gods like Zeus or Poseidon may wonder who takes the more 'masculine' or 'feminine' role in the relationship (as was common in Ancient Greece), Hades and Persephone would understand the pointlessness of such a construct, and be supportive of their son through and through. I personally don't think that it was a good idea for Nico to come out to Maria di Angelo - there was so much that could possibly have gone wrong there. Luckily, her time in Elysium allowed her to have a more open-minded view. On the other hand, Naomi Solace probably would have quite a bit of trouble coming to terms with the fact that her son is in love with three guys, but she would eventually come to love Nico, Jason and Percy like her own children, after knowing them better. I don't think Sally and Paul could possibly be anything but loving and supportive, and Paul probably eventually did a whole lot of research, and then offered the guys advice to help them make their relationship work. Most importantly, I want to stress that coming out is something everyone should do at their own pace, when they are comfortable with it, and only when it is safe to do so. The sad truth is that not everyone is as lucky as the characters in this story, so please do exercise prudence, and be understanding and respectful of any friends and family who take the courageous step to come out. 

**Cover**  
[This is the cover that I made for FF.net. ](https://imgur.com/a/UJOAA) The Delta symbol is the most prominent part, with the respective elements of the four guys (lightning, water, sunlight, shadow). If anyone who has artistic skills (unlike me) would like to supply a better cover, I will be eternally grateful. 

**Thanks and Credits**  
Thank you to MelChan1003, without whom this fanfic would not exist. Special thanks to my beta readers KS and GH, for putting up with my ranting and helping me spot mistakes - I don't know what I'd do without you. Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who has read and commented! Your encouragement and support were what kept me motivated to complete the story. Hope to see you around in the fandom! :D 


End file.
